Russian atombombefly identified along the coast – Fædrelandsvennen

the Defense tell NRK that it is rare that they see the russians fly as far south as in this case.

But we see it. This is the aircraft which the russians have operated a long time, from the cold war days. This is the strategic bombers that can carry nuclear as well as conventional weapons, say pressevakt Brynjar Stordal at the defense operational headquarters.

According to the website Airlive.net , which is operated by a group of flyentusiaster, it is a question about aircraft of the type TU-160 Blackjack from the Russian air force. The planes should have been identified by two Norwegian F-16 along the coast of Norway, before the two scottish aircraft of the Eurofighter Typhoon came with the russians, as they approached the northern part of Scotland.

Less intervention and identification

In 2015 was carried out 30 runs with the NATO-beredskapsfly from the base at Bodø hovedflystasjon and 51 identifiseringer. This is a decrease in both groups when compared with the prior year. This year sees the Air force as of august a further decline in both categories, according to the statistics of luftovervåkingen from Bodø from 10. august.

in the Middle of the 80s the number was up in the 500– 600 identifiseringer annually. This dropped drastically by the dissolution of the Soviet union, and in 1999/2000 was the number of identifiseringer on 3-5 aircraft annually, and 10 to 15 aircraft annually over the 2000-century.

In a comment to the development in recent years, it appears that a part of the planes have gone further out and further to the north than previously, so that they do not been identified by the Norwegian aircraft.

“nevertheless, We have scramblet fly almost as many times over the last few years. Much of the reason for fewer identifiseringer and utflyginger in the period 2008-2012 was due to a changed basestruktur in Russia, where eskortefly, previously included bombers and air tankers to the north of Finnmark, in this period often turned back before they passed 30 degrees to the east”, is called.

Large distances, other operations

The last few years, the strategic flygningene largely centred on strategic bombers.

the Air force see that there is a good level of training, and it is carried out complex ‘ aircraft operations over large distances.

As an example, they draw up strategic flights from the Engels base at Saratov almost down by Kazakhstan, up through North-west Russia to the Kola peninsula, past the Norwegian coast and down over the north Sea.

the Number of identifiseringer has decreased somewhat in the last period. This assumes the Air force due to the fact that the Russian flystyrkene which normally operates in the high north, and has participated in operations in other areas such as Syria and the border with Ukraine.

It should be noted that some of the aircraft types that the Air force most often identifies, has had longer periods with low availability as a result of accidents or incidents that have led to that the entire fleet has been put on the ground for periods of time while one has investigated the cause.