| Long-range aviation is ready to bomb terrorists outside Russia The possibility of bombing international terrorist bases outside Russia, as Vladimir Putin recently spoke about, received further confirmation from the military. Following Chief of the General Staff Yuri Baluevsky, yesterday the commander of the 37th Air Army of the Supreme Special Forces Command, which today includes all of the country's strategic aviation, Lieutenant General Igor Khvorov, spoke on this matter.
“The specificity of long-range aviation is such that it was not originally intended to combat terrorism,” said the army commander. “But since this phenomenon has become one of the main threats to Russia’s security, long-range aviation will fulfill its task of destroying terrorist bases outside the country.” And this will not require carpet bombing, the general noted, it is a thing of the past long ago. The commander indirectly confirmed that long-range cruise missiles, classified as precision weapons, had recently entered service with long-range aviation. They can be used both with nuclear warheads and in non-nuclear warheads.
The commander's speech was timed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of long-range aviation (LA), which is celebrated the day after tomorrow. On December 23, 1914, by the highest decree of Emperor Nicholas II, the first squadron of airships was formed. "Dalniki" were the first to switch to supersonic speed. The first carriers of nuclear weapons were also heavy aircraft, for quite a long time, before the advent of the Strategic Missile Forces, acting as the country’s nuclear shield. Over the years of the existence of long-range aviation, more than 3 million people have passed through it.
Today, long-range aviation is the most mobile branch of the Air Force. This is not only the 22nd division in Engels, which is on everyone’s lips. There is a similar connection in the Far East. In general, long-range aviation aircraft are based in 32 regions, in almost all military districts and fleets. The DA includes Russia's only unique regiment of Il-78 tanker aircraft, stationed in Ryazan. They are capable of refueling almost all types of aircraft in the air. However, according to the military, the situation in which there should be one tanker per combat aircraft is far from ideal (for the Americans this ratio is one to three). The long-distance pilots also have an extensive airfield network in the north of the country - Vorkuta, Tiksi, Anadyr... Flights are often carried out, as the pilots say, “beyond the Pole,” in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Radio communications during flights in “neutral waters” are conducted in English. Pilots learn the language, or more precisely, a set of standard phrases, in special courses.
Regarding the state of the long-range aviation aircraft fleet, General Khvorov is very optimistic: Tu-22, Tu-16, Tu-95 were designed for 15-20 years of operation, but in fact they serve for 30-35 years. The Americans extended the service life of their B-52 to 40 years. The aircraft currently in service with Russian long-range aviation have only reached the end of their service life. Since 2001, a missile carrier modernization program has been implemented. But the main hope, of course, is the Tu-160. At the beginning of next year, another aircraft will be delivered to the troops from the Kazan Aviation Plant, which is now undergoing deep modernization. This will be a qualitatively new aircraft, aviators believe.
Work is also underway on the appearance of the fifth generation aircraft. About a dozen options for the future missile carrier have already been presented. Various aircraft manufacturing firms are involved in the development, including those traditionally involved in the construction of light aircraft and fighters. Both the military and the designers agree that there is no need to create a fundamentally new aircraft. If only because today's Tu-160 implements only 60% of its capabilities. On its basis, most likely, a new aircraft will be made, differing mainly in its internal content and filling. One thing is clear for now - the “fifth generation” will be developed using stealth technology, which assumes the aircraft’s stealthiness for ground-based and airborne locators. Stealth aircraft, the military admits, are expensive and difficult to operate. They are not supposed to be produced en masse - only to form a strike group.
The Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff assured the Vremya Novostey observer: “Deeper reductions in long-range aviation, which is part of the triad of strategic nuclear forces, are not planned.” And not without pride they added: “Today, only two states can afford to have strategic aviation - Russia and the United States." Nikolay POROSKOV |
|
