MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. The crews of Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers practiced mid-air refueling from an Il-78 aerial refueling tanker during training flights in the skies over the Saratov Region, the press office of Russia’s Aerospace Force reported on Monday.
"The long-range aircraft took off from various airfields. The mid-air refueling was conducted in the daytime at altitudes of over 5,000 meters and at a speed of about 600 km/h. The distance between the planes was less than 30 meters," the press office said in a statement.
Young officers took part in the training flights, the statement says.
The Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bomber is designated to accomplish the tasks of striking vital targets in remote military-geographical areas and deep in the rear of continental theaters of military operations, employing nuclear missile weapons. A modernized bomber is furnished with a new control system and hardpoints for Kh-101 missiles that have proven their efficiency in Syria.