© RIA Novosti. O. Grachev
Russian Tu-95MS strategic long-range bombers delivered airstrikes on ISIS targets in the Syrian province of Raqqa on February 17.
Tu-95MS bombers destroyed several terrorist camps, training centers and a command post of a major ISIS unit near the ISIS self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The strikes were carried out by brand new X-101 cruise missiles.
“Su-30SM and Su-35S provided air cover to the Russian bombers from the Hmeymim airbase,” the statement reads.
The Pentagon commented on the issue, adding that Russian and US air forces used mechanism on safety of flights over Syria to avoid any incidents near Raqqa.
Another live fire training mission. The Bears where first fielded in 1956. They will be around until 2040? They can carry a very large payload at extended range (plus they look cool in videos). The maritime recon and ASW version is the TU 142. They are extremely loud if throttled up. Sometimes submerged subs can hear them approaching! Not a stealth aircraft for sure. But the TU 95 can carry many long range stand off cruise missiles.
no doubt submerged submarines can hear them, of course with their sensitive passive sonars (they hear planes like Orions and Atlantics as well). The payload is large, but not like the B-52 one, although the two planes are often mistakenly compared. The Bear has been evolved into several different mission-wise versions, and it’s always very capable at its tasks, being a large platform with an enormous flight endurance (we are talking about maybe 29-30 hours of uninterrupted flight with no refueling). The Stratofortress has been designed as a bomb truck and later adapted to carrying cruise missiles, while the Bear never was conceived as “carpet bomber” but as an adaptable and updatable as possible long range aircraft
It was reported that a Bear was picked up by a towed sonar array, it was not even within visual range of the surface ship! It sounded like a bee hive.
as a sidenote, planes were detected using acoustical means even during ww1. check this : ) http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/aircraft-detection-radar-1917-1940/