Russian aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew along the coast yesterday – the Newspaper.en

(Dagbladet): Two Russian aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew yesterday along the Norwegian coast. They were escorted by Norwegian fighter planes, which was released by british aircraft as they approached the airspace over Scotland, writes the website Airlive.net.

It was NRK Nordland who first publicized the case in this country.

the Unknown download

the Planes were of the type Tupolev TU-160 “Blackjack”, which came from the Soviet union and the cold war days. It is unclear whether or not they carried nuclear weapons or not.

- They have the ability to carry external and internal weapons, bl.a. cruise missiles and bombs, but we do not have knowledge of whether or not they carried nuclear weapons, ” says pressevakt at the defense operational headquarters, captain Brynjar Stordal, to the Newspaper.

He describes the episode as un-dramatic, and says it is for F-16 aircraft was a relatively routine so-called QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) missions.

OLD TRAVER: TU-160 “Blackjack” originates from the cold war. The aircraft is capable of carrying 50 tons of weapons and has a range of 12,000 km. Photo: the Norwegian Armed forces Show more

“We got a radartrekk on the unknown aircraft, and went up from Bodø to identify them,” says the captain.

Civilian aircraft have a transmitter that identify them to other aircraft and ground stations, but military aircraft are missing this. Therefore you must go up to see them with the naked eye.

They went up, and identified them at some hundred meters distance, ” explains Stordal, and tells, moreover, that there usually isn’t radio contact with the alien aircraft during QRA-missions.

Far south

He says that the Air force had 12 such scrambler (call-outs with Nato aircraft) and has identified 17 aircraft so far this year. What is unusual is that the Russian planes flying so far south.

DEFENCE ADVOCATE: Captain Brynjar Stordal. Photo: the Norwegian Armed forces Show more

- Usually, they fly in the Barents sea and down towards the coast, but, and further to the south. When they have air, they can fly all the way to the Mediterranean sea, ” says the captain.

He says that the two Blackjackene basically had a air tankers, but that it drew to the north when the bombers flew south.

Stordal says that the Russian planes all the time remained in international airspace, and at no time was in the vicinity of the Norwegian land mass.

last year, wrote the british newspaper the Sunday Express that a Norwegian lyttepost revealed that a TU-95 bombers carrying nuclear weapons.

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