Updated Tu-160 flies

[MartG]

A Tu-160 has taken its first flight with an updated electronic suite onboard

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/760621

Is this business-as-usual or another sign of Putin being aggressive ?

[anonymous-user]

I wonder why they went to Venezuela, the Bears used to end up in Cuba.

Perhaps it's a show of solidarity with Chavez?

[V8FGO]

el stovey said:

I wonder why they went to Venezuela, the Bears used to end up in Cuba.

Perhaps it's a show of solidarity with Chavez?

been dead for over a year.

[hidetheelephants]

V8FGO said:

el stovey said:

I wonder why they went to Venezuela, the Bears used to end up in Cuba.

Perhaps it's a show of solidarity with Chavez?

been dead for over a year.

Scattering his ashes supersonically?

[onyx39]

Such a shame we are having issues with the Ruskies, would love to see one of these at an Airshow.

[Yertis]

onyx39 said:

Such a shame we are having issues with the Ruskies, would love to see one of these at an Airshow.

I think if it weren't for those issues, these things would have been retired.

There was some big four jet swing wing bomber at RIAT quite a few years ago now, I misremember its reporting name. Backfire I think.

[FourWheelDrift]

The nicotine bomber.

[Eric Mc]

Yertis said:

onyx39 said:

Such a shame we are having issues with the Ruskies, would love to see one of these at an Airshow.

I think if it weren't for those issues, these things would have been retired.

There was some big four jet swing wing bomber at RIAT quite a few years ago now, I misremember its reporting name. Backfire I think.

Tupolev TU-22M Backfire - the noisiest aeroplane I've ever heard.

[Hooli]

FourWheelDrift said:

The nicotine bomber.

Looks cool.

[LHRFlightman]

Eric Mc said:

Tupolev TU-22M Backfire - the noisiest aeroplane I've ever heard.

And me too. You were there at Farnborough as well Eric?

[Eric Mc]

Yes - 1992.

[Hubris]

Ah, that old shameless B-1B ripoff...

[Regiment]

I remember it being the boss of level 1 of Top Gun on the Nintendo. Beautiful aircraft, I just wish the Soviets went in their own direction rather trying to rip off British or American aircraft.

[FourWheelDrift]

Hubris said:

Ah, that old shameless B-1B ripoff...

More of a B1-A rip-off. The American's canned the Mach 2 specifications to build the slower and cheaper B1-B but the Russians didn't get the microfilm for that memo and carried on with a mach 2 bomber.

[Eric Mc]

It's quite a bit bigger too.