TWO Russian Tu-160 ‘White Swan’ strategic bombers practised firing nukes just miles north of the UK.
The tests come as mad Vladimir Putin conducts war games on NATO’s doorstep in a chilling warning.
East2WestTu-160 strategic bombers practised firing the deadly weapons[/caption]
The aircraft practised firing nuclear-capable cruise missiles at a ‘mock enemy’ just miles from land over the Norwegian Sea, reports in Moscow said.
The nine hour flight over neutral waters to the north of Shetland as well as Barents Sea was part of Vladimir Putin’s Ocean-2024 war games, the largest sea-based military drills since the Soviet era.
The Russian defence ministry said: “Two Tu-160 strategic missile carriers of the long-range aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces performed a flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas as part of the Ocean-2024 strategic command and staff exercise.”
Russian news reports also said: “While performing the flight mission, the crews worked out training issues on delivering airstrikes with air-launched cruise missiles against critically important objects of the mock enemy.
“Fighter escort was provided by the crews of the Su-35S and Su-30SM aircraft.”
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