Russian Air Force to Drop Cruise Missiles Over North Pole in August Exercise

Excerpt from report by Russian news agency RIA Novosti

Moscow, 31 July: Aircraft from the Russian air force’s long- distance aviation are to fly over the North Pole area and release cruise missiles during tactical flight exercises in August, said a statement on the Russian Defence Ministry’s official website today.

“During the exercises cruise missiles will be released, bombs will be dropped, and the pilots will make flights above the North Pole area and the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans,” says the statement.

The commander of the 37th Air Army of the Supreme Main Command (strategic designation) Maj-Gen Pavel Androsov is to lead six regimental tactical flight exercises in August, it adds.

“The combat training of units and subunits of the long-range aviation is being carried out strictly according to plan,” and training development involving commanders from all units of the long- range aviation’s air regiments will take place at the start of August at the Ryazan aviation centre, the Defence Ministry says.

The training development involving commanders from all air units of the long-range aviation will take place at the base of the 43rd centre for combat training and retraining of long-range aviation flight crews, at the Dyagilevo airfield (Ryazan Region), from 30 July to 2 August. During the training on 1 and 2 August, the unit commanders will take exams and make practical flights right across Russia as part of flight crews on Tupolev Tu-160, Tu-95MS, Tu-22MZ, Tu-134UBL, Ilyushin Il-78, Antonov An-12 and An-26 aircraft.

[Passage omitted: aviation to take part in celebrations of 65th anniversary of the 16th Air Army and 95th anniversary of the air force.]

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