Welcome back Russian "Bear"!

Gun SG

Tu-95 is now officially back on long distance surveillance duty.

Published intercepts incl
Sep'06 near the coast of Alaska
May'07, near Scotland
July'07, Norwegian coast towards Scotland
Aug '07 near Guam island.

Can't help that same chilling FUN has returned.
Wander why the Russian still retain that cool Red Star on the tail even a decade after USSR dissolved???.... that "Bear" is still one of my favours nevetheless. Wink

Photo courtesy 12th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force base (Sep 06)

Pitot SG

The Raptor squadron is now operational at elmendorf.

It would be nice to see it with the bears in a pic soon. Mr. Green

Arapahoe SG

Yes cold war is back.

LyonK SG

Solid piece of machinery.

Cold war begins.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6950986.stm

38 SG

Why, only the bears resuming its strategy air patrol is interpreted as cold war started, Laughing but Yanks do it all the time, in 2001, one of American bears was even knocked out in China.

beavan SG

i don’t get it, how come they are still using propellor aircraft in this time and age of jet engines?

storm_freaky13 SG

well, they cant be bothered to design an all new plane just to show off. tts my guess.

yeah interestingly why is the Red Star still there on the tail.

storm_freaky13 SG

After reading the BBC report, i cant help but feel that Russia is trying to 'guai-lan' Nato like HELL!

DAMN this is serioously cool.

Shotgun SG

Its hard to imagine an F-22 being sent up to babysit a bear. If lets say the Russians are sending Sukhois, then most likely u’ll see F-22.

CM06 SG

How to "see" an F-22....the US will "hao lian" Your TU-160 will be escorted by F015s...An F-22 will be "watching" over the entire process...Leave the Russians to guess where their -only easily visible by the eye- plane is.

Anyway, propellor driven planes are still very powerful...look at the B-52...that monster can probably flattern a chunk of singapore at a go.

tankee1981 SG

The B-52 is not exactly propeller driven as its 8 engines are from Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofans.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/bomber/b-52.htm

Manager433 SG

Putin is a good man.

Aaron8209 SG

Laughing

beavan SG

when you have money, you can do alot of rubbish.

Pitot SG

The raptor already replaced the F15Cs.

unless they want to send the strike eagles up?

i dont know. Laughing

LRRP SG

You saw him in the Sunday Times today? Half naked and also in a Malboro Man pose..

LRRP SG

B52 is propeller aircraft meh?

LRRP SG

Actually some modern maritime patrol aircraft are still on the propeller design too. They have their advantages..

Idle_King SG

But see the B-52H's engines are what 40 years old? If they've been replaced, the frames sure as hell haven't which means the youngest B-52 is 45yrs old already.
In contrast the only operational Bears if wiki can be believed are no more than 27yrs old...

But the debate on quality of the engineering between russia and usa is another matter altogether Laughing

the Bear SG

to think they were grounded in the past because the Russians could not afford the fuel…