A pair of Russian strategists Tu-160 landed at an airfield in South Africa
As stated in the Russian military department, Russian strategists spent more than 13 hours in the air, breaking over 11 thousand kilometers during this time. The flight took place in the waters of the Caspian and Arabian seas, as well as the Indian Ocean with one refueling in the air. At the last stage of the flight, an honorary escort to Russian strategists was made by the South African Air Force fighter Saab JAS 39
- it is spoken in the message of the Ministry of Defense.
Earlier it was reported that the Russian strategists of the Tu-160, as well as the Il-62 and An-124 Ruslan military transport aircraft that are part of the air group, will visit South Africa at the invitation of the South African republic. The purpose of the visit of Russian aviation is the development of bilateral military cooperation and the development of interaction between the Russian Aerospace Forces and the South African Air Force.
Note that such an international visit of Russian aviation is not the first. Earlier, a pair of Tu-160, accompanied by the same Il-62 and An-124, visited Venezuela, where Russian strategists worked out several training tasks together with the crews of the Venezuelan Air Force.
Washington previously stated that Russia is rapidly expanding its influence in Africa, using various methods for this, ranging from the sale of military equipment and weapons and ending with the construction of mining enterprises and nuclear energy.
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