More than ten strategic bombers are used in the exercise of long-range aviation, the first one in 2009, Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Drik, the assistant commander-in-chief of the Air Force, told Itar-Tass on Wednesday. He said a heavy bomber regiment of long-range aviation deployed in the Amur region conducts the planned flying and tactical exercise. “This is the first exercise of long-range aviation at the level of regiments this year,” Drik said. The exercise consists of three stages and is aimed to drill distribution of planes to operational airfields and conduct combat operations within a regiment. “More than ten planes of long-range aviation - Tu-95MS strategic missile-carriers and Il-78 air tankers - are used in the exercise,” Drik said. “The crews will perform refueling in midair and tactical launches of cruise missiles,” he said. The Tu-95MS is a strategic bomber that can perform in any weather, climate and geographic conditions, carrying bombs and air-to-surface precision cruise missiles with a range of over 3,000 kilometers. They can have nuclear or conventional warheads. Il-78 tankers ensure flights of strategic missile-carriers, as midair refueling enables them to remain in flight for 24 hours or longer.
