Russian Tu-160 Strategic Bombers Land in Venezuela

Source : Strategic-Culture.org

Two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers on Monday flew from an airbase in southwestern Russia and landed in Venezuela, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The nuclear-capable bombers, which took off from the Engels airbase in the Volga region, “flew over the Caribbean, the eastern Pacific and along the southwestern coast of the North American continent, and landed at Maiquetia airfield in Venezuela,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to the Russian ministry, the bombers covered a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers (over 6,200 miles) during a 13-hour non-stop flight. Two NATO F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Bodo airbase to monitor their flight near the Norwegian airspace.

The ministry said the current mission was carried out “in line with the program of combat training.”

Russian strategic bombers conducted a similar mission in 2008. It was followed by a visit to Venezuela by a Russian naval task force, which took part in joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy.

The Tu-160 Blackjack is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber, designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear and conventional weapons deep in continental theatres of operation.

Egypt eyeing large-scale supplies of weaponry from Russia - newspaper

Source : ITAR-TASS

LONDON, October 27 (Itar-Tass) - Egyptian authorities are highly interested in large- scale purchases of weaponry from Russia in the wake of U.S. decision to suspend “the delivery of certain large-scale military systems” to Cairo, The Sunday Times said.

It indicated that the Egyptian military might want to get the Russian warplanes efficiently operating at low altitudes and top-notch antitank missiles. Also, they have interest in the modernization of Soviet-era tanks that are still found on the Egyptian Army’s inventory.

The newspaper recalls that the U.S. Administration froze at the beginning of this month the supplies of Apache strike helicopter, Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles, F-16 fighter jets, and spare parts for tanks.

Simultaneously, Washington refused to remit $ 260 million in financial assistance to the Egyptian Armed Forces, the article says.

It quotes a respected Egyptian analyst, Moataz Bellah Abdel-Fattah as saying a vacuum has emerged in Egypt’s strategic policies and Russia has gotten an opportunity to fill it.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Ati says at the same time that Cairo’s policy after June 30 consists in creating the relationships of equitable partnership, not in maintaining the inequitable relations of a donor and a recipient.

The Sunday Times notes along with it that Russia, too, has obvious interests in consolidating its positions on the Egyptian soil.

“The U.S. is in retreat all over the Middle East: Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, and the Russians are stepping in and intend to stay,” the newspaper quoted a well- informed Israeli security source.

Japan To Deploy Anti-Ship Missiles On Okinawa’s Miyako Island

Source : StratRisks

Japan plans to deploy a surface-to-ship missile unit on Miyako Island in the country’s southern-most Okinawa prefecture for the first time next month.

Units equipped with Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles will be deployed on Miyako Island and in the southern part of Okinawa’s main island as part of an 18-day military drill starting on November 1 with about 34,000 personnel taking part, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) said on Thursday.

This would put all waters between the islands within range of the guided anti-ship missiles, reports the NHK broadcaster.

Though Chinese naval vessels heading out to the Pacific Ocean often pass between Okinawa and Miyako Island, Japan’s Defense Ministry claims that the drill does not hypothesize any particular country as an enemy.

In addition to the missile deployment, a 100-member ground unit together with ships and helicopters will take part in the drill aimed at defending Japan’s remote islands.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing remain strained ever since Japan nationalized the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea over which China has also staked its claims.

Turkish Military Claims Interception of Russian Spy Plane

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, October 24 (RIA Novosti) – Two Turkish fighter jets have been recently scrambled to intercept a Russian military plane in international airspace over the Black Sea in a rare air incident between the two countries, the Turkish military said.

The General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces said in a statement on Wednesday that two F-16 jets were scrambled on Tuesday afternoon to prevent a potential violation of Turkish airspace after a Russian Ilyushin II-20 plane was detected flying in parallel to Turkish coast.

The Turkish aircraft monitored the Russian plane until it left the area heading to the Bulgarian border, the statement added.

It is not clear why the Russian plane approached the Turkish airspace as the Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the incident.

The Ilyushin Il-20 (NATO designation Coot-A) is a Soviet-era reconnaissance aircraft designed to carry out a variety of electronic and communications intelligence missions.

Around 20 Il-20’s were reportedly built between 1969 and 1976, but their remaining number in service with the Russian Air Force is unknown.

Japan and Sweden reported in the past similar interceptions of Il-20 planes flying close to their airspace.