Two Russian Tu-160 strategic missile-carrying bombers performed a flight over the neutral waters of the Barents, Greenland and Norwegian seas, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on February 9.

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Tu-160 strategic missile-carrying bomber (Picture source: Tass)

"Two Tu-160 strategic missile-carrying bombers performed a planned flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Barents, Greenland and Norwegian seas. The flight lasted about 12 hours," the ministry said.

The aircraft of Russia’s Aerospace Force perform all their flights in strict compliance with the international rules of using the airspace, it said.

The crews of fighters of the Northern Fleet’s naval aviation escorted the Tu-160 strategic bombers during the flight, the ministry said.

The Tu-160 (NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a Russian-made multi-mission strategic bomber designed for operations ranging from subsonic speeds and low altitudes to speeds over Mach 1 at high altitudes. The Tu-160 entered into service with the Russian Air Force in 1987. Currently, the Russian Air Force's Long Range Aviation branch has at least 16 aircraft in service. The aircraft has two internal bays that can carry different mission-specific armaments, including strategic cruise missiles, short-range guided missiles, nuclear and conventional bombs, and mines.

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