Tu-160 Andrey Korchagin / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Moscow Times: Russia Sends Nuclear-Bombers to South Africa in ‘Friendly’ Visit
Russia has announced plans to send two nuclear-capable Tu-160 bombers to South Africa in what observers say would be the first such deployment on the African continent.
The Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber, nicknamed the White Swan in Russia, is a supersonic Soviet-era aircraft capable of carrying up to 12 short-range nuclear missiles and of flying 12,000 kilometers non-stop without refueling.
Cited by Interfax on Monday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it will fly two Tu-160s, an Ilyushin Il-62 passenger jet and an Antonov An-124 military cargo plane to South Africa. Russian news agencies reported after midnight that the An-124 and Il-62 had already landed in the country.
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Update: Russian Bombers to Land in South Africa During Unprecedented Deployment (Military.com)
WNU Editor: Russia is definitely making its presence felt in Africa.
2 comments:
TU-160's are too few to matter much, more a propaganda display than a symbol of power.
It is from an era that gave the B-1B, a far more numerous and more modern alternative.
South Africa is entering its own Twilight Zone of race hatred, reversing the races from Apartheid era. It is reversing the politics as well from western leaning to communist, Marxist, socialism African style with all the concomitant poverty, corruption and cronyism. Russia is a natural benefactor, as is China.
The tu160 has been upgraded for modern times but I still agree with you overall
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