Russian Strategic Bombers Patrol Arctic, Pacific

2009-11-20 23:55:53 Xinhua Web Editor: Xu Leiying

Two Russian strategic bombers have completed a patrol of the Arctic and Pacific oceans, an Air Force spokesman said on Friday.

"Two Tu-95 MS bombers took off from a Russian Air Force base in eastern Russia on Wednesday, and flew from the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean to the Aleutian Islands in the north Pacific Ocean," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

The bombers were escorted by two NATO F-22 fighters during the 16-hour flight, Drik said.

The spokesman said the patrol was conducted in strict accordance with international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states.

Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans in August 2007, following an order from then-president Vladimir Putin.

The Tupolev Tu-95s are large, four-engine turboprop powered bombers with an unrefueled range of 15,000 kilometers.

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