Russia's Tu-160 Strategic Bombards Fly In Arctic Ocean

JAKARTA - Russia's Ministry of Defense on Tuesday revealed that its Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber carried out regular flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean.

"The Tu-160 strategic bomber made scheduled flights in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean. The duration of the flight lasted more than 11 hours," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement, quoted by Anadolu on November 26.

Long-distance Aviation Crews (Low Range Aviation) often fly over Arctic, North Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Black Sea, and Baltic neutral waters.

The Ministry of Defense stressed that all flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces comply with international regulations for the use of airspace.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stressed that long-range flight pilots regularly fly over the neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Black Sea and Baltic Sea, as well as the Pacific Ocean.

The Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic missile-carrying bombers are part of the long-range flights of Russian Aerospace Forces and air components of the nuclear triad consisting of aircraft, submarines, and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Last February, Russian President Vladimir Putin flew with modernized Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers.

The plane, which the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) calls Blackjack, is a modern version of a similar aircraft in the Cold War era, with the ability to deliver long-range nuclear weapons.

'Angsa Putih', according to the Russian version of this aircraft, took off and landed on the runway owned by manufacturers in Kazan which makes the aircraft a modern supersonic.

The Tupolev Tu-160M bomber, manned by four, is capable of carrying 12 short-range cruise missiles or 12 nuclear missiles and can fly as far as 12,000 km (7,500 miles) non-stop without refueling.