For the first time, Russian "Avia carriers" Tu-22M3 (video) arrived at the Syrian air base of Khmeimim.

Three distant Tu-22M3 bomber made a flight to the Russian Khmeimim air base in Syria, where they will be based for the first time. According to TASS with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the crews of distant bombers will acquire practical skills in working out training tasks during flights over the water area of ​​the Mediterranean Sea, after which they will return to constant base airfields in Russia.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation added that the air base was completed by the reconstruction of the second runway with a complete replacement of the coating and installing a new light-signal and radio equipment. Due to the increase in the length of the runway, the capabilities of the airfield for the reception and maintenance of aircraft of various classes were expanded. Currently, flights from the Khmeimim air base can make all types of aircraft in service with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, including heavy -class aircraft.

The long-standing supersonic missile carrier-bomber Tu-22M3 (NATO Codification: Backfire) is designed to defeat marine and ground targets of controlled missiles and aviation bombs. He made the first flight on June 20, 1977, since 1978 the plane was launched into mass production. In the final form, the Tu-22M3 was adopted in March 1989.

In 2018, as part of a large-scale program for modernizing the aviation complexes of strategic and long-range aviation, the first deeply modernized missile carrier-bomber Tu-22M3M was created. As a result of deep modernization, a new complex of modern digital on -board electronic equipment (BREO) was installed on the airplane on the domestic element base.

As reported on the website of PJSC Tupolev, as a result, the combat potential of the aviation complex has expanded significantly, including combat efficiency increased and the combat radius increased. The first flight of a deeply modernized missile carrier-bomber Tu-22M3M made on December 28, 2018.

According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta , the aircraft was created to destroy local goals - primarily aircraft carrier shock groups. It can disable three large ships at once, since he is able to fly with three K-22 distant missiles equipped with thermonuclear warheads to Megaton. Therefore, this model of the aircraft is known as the "killer of aircraft carriers."

On the eve of the portal Avia.pro reported that three American military landing ships with sea infantrymen on board were included in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Initially, it was assumed that the American warships would remain in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, but they advanced east. It is possible that the fleet can move towards Syria, the Black Sea, or towards Egypt for sending to the Middle East.

The group of American landing ships includes the ale-wing universal landing ship Iwo Jima, the San Antonio airborne vehicle and the landing transport "Carter Hall", on board which can be up to 2.5 thousand marine infantrymen. The portal notes that the appearance of American landing ships in the Mediterranean Sea coincided with the departure of the British Navy to the region.