Supersonic strategic bombers Tu-160 have broken the world record for range and duration of flight without landing for aircraft of this class, said the commander of long-range aviation of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash.
The serviceman said that the pilots flew for more than 25 hours and covered more than 20 thousand kilometers.
“Nobody has flown on airplanes of this class longer,” Kobylash noted.
The last time the record was set by the Tu-160 was in 2010, when they spent 24 hours and 24 minutes in the air.
As specified in the military department, the flight of the bombers took place over the neutral waters of the central part of the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian, Chukchi, and Barents seas. The missile carriers took off and landed at the Engels airfield. The crew commanders are Major General Oleg Pchela and Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Volkovitsky.
The Ministry of Defense added that during the flight, the Tu-160 refueled three times in the air from six Il-78 aircraft.
“At certain stages of the route, strategic missile carriers <…> were accompanied by Su-35S fighters, as well as aircraft of foreign countries,” the ministry said.
The flight of Russian aircraft took place in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace.
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