Russian TU-95 Bombers Take Off From Indonesia and Make a Scenic Cruise Across American Ocean

Russian Tu-95MS missile carriers have made a long flight across the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry reports.

Russian Tu-95MS missile carriers have made a long flight across the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry reports. The missile carriers carried out aerial patrol missions and took off from the Indonesian airfield, where the aircraft had arrived for the international visit.

Artem Kol has the details.

The whole night, the locals were listening to the howling thrusters of the missile carriers. The maintenance group was checking the systems before the flight. 100% humidity and the heat, even at night had no impact on the aircraft. After the maintenance, the operations officer orders the take off.

 

Takeoff! The Tu-95 shoots upwards. It's got 10 hours of flight ahead under the rough conditions. It's +30 here on the ground and -30 up in the air. The sky's overcast. But our pilots claim the challenge only encourages them.

Our pilots have already encountered such harsh weather conditions. They are flying right in the middle of a thunderstorm. The wingspan of the Tu-95 is more than 50 meters. But up in the sky, it looks like a toy plane.

A pilot: "The weather conditions upon taking off and landing were really difficult. We pierced several thunderstorms and had to evade them. After that, the flight proceeded smoothly".

The flight proceeded at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters over the neutral waters of the Pacific Ocean. In a very short time the Russian pilots acquired a great deal of experience working at the equator and the Southern hemisphere.

Sergey Kobylash, commander of the Russian long-range air force: "Their first task was to practice the flying technique and navigation in the Southern hemisphere. Secondly, our guidance systems once again have proven to be reliable. They ensured clear guidance throughout the whole flight. Our logistics support at the Biak airfield has proven to be effective as well".

Back on the ground, the commander personally thanks the pilots for their work: "You've done well. Rest now".

The pilots flew more than 12,000 kilometers during their four-day mission. They still have to fly more than 5,000 in order to get home.

Artem Kol, Vladimir Kalsky for Vesti from Indonesia, Biak.