MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. Two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic missile-carrying bombers have performed a flight from the easternmost Chukotka area to the Saratov Region in south Russia with mid-air refueling, the press office of Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.
"The crews of two Tu-160 strategic missile-carrying bombers have made a flight from the Chukotka Autonomous Area to the Saratov Region in tactical flight drills of long-range aviation, covering a distance of over 8,000 kilometers," the press office said in a statement.
The bombers flew over the Arctic Ocean, the East Siberian and Kara Seas within the boundaries of the Russian Federation. The bombers were refueled in mid-air during their flight.
Earlier, two Tu-160 strategic bombers made a flight of over eight hours to the Anadyr airfield in Russia’s easternmost Chukotka Peninsula without mid-air refueling.
The tactical flight drills run under the direction of Russia’s Long-Range Aviation Commander Lieutenant-General Sergei Kobylash and will last until the end of the week. The maneuvers involve about ten Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Il-78 aircraft.