Bridlav offers to return U-2 aircraft to Europe to monitor Russia

American General Philip Bridlav, Commander-in-Chief of NATO forces in Europe, suggested returning the U-2 and RC-135 aircraft to the continent to observe the actions of Russia, which poses a "long-term threat to the existence" of the United States. It is reported by The Independent with reference to the next annual report on the American strategy in Europe.

In conditions when Vladimir Putin turned into a strategic threat to the United States, the country needs reliable protection, Bridlav said. Among the "additional intelligence tools" he called the U-2 and RC-135 aircraft.

U-2, notes The Independent, is a powerful monitoring tool. The sensors of the aircraft collect a lot of information, in particular, the highlands are recognized from a height of 21 kilometers. Therefore, the newspaper concludes, the U-2 can be used to track sudden movements of Russian troops on borders with Ukraine and the Baltic countries.

In the Pentagon, to a request, whether the initiative of Bridlav was approved, they did not respond to the publication. Meanwhile, the newspaper notes, in February Washington announced a four -fold increase in expenses for the initiative of European security in order to increase the American presence in Europe, after it, on the contrary, was reduced for decades.

U-2, also known as Lady Dragon, has been used since 1955. It was widely used during the Cold War from Cuba to Afghanistan. The American spy Gary Powers, shot down near Sverdlovsk on May 1, 1960, flew to the USSR on the U-2.