The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, said he was going to fly one of the Russian strategic bombers landed yesterday in Venezuela.
''I will manage a TU-160. Fidel (Castro)'m going to move beyond bajito. Eh, flights are training''said Chavez to intervene on Wednesday by the National Radio and TV.
The Venezuelan leader confirmed the arrival of two Russian planes Tupolev Tu-160 to the aerodrome Venezuelan Liberator, previously announced by the Ministry of Defense of Russia.
''We are very interested in strengthening our knowledge, our technology and our defensive capabilities, with our strategic allies and Russia is one of them'', said Chavez.
Chavez denied that the visit of the Tu-160 or any Venezuelan-Russian naval exercises seek to revive the Cold War and relate to the events in the Caucasus.
''This theme of the visit of a Russian flotilla to waters of the Caribbean (what) we are talking with Russia makes us more than a year, "he said.
The Venezuelan leader reported that as part of military technical cooperation, Venezuela is considering the purchase of Russian submarines and''an integrated air defence, long-range radar, with their respective rockets ready to defend the country''. "We care very much good we do every day more advanced agreements", he added.
The supersonic strategic bomber TU-160 Blackjack started out by the Tupolev design office in 1975. The device is designed to destroy nuclear and conventional weapons with the most important objectives in areas geographically distant from theatre and for intercontinental missions of the same type. The Tu-160 made its maiden flight in late 1981. The four crew members staying in a cabin shared tight. Today the Russian Air Force has 20 TU-160 aircraft. (Russian strategic bombers - image gallery)
The Tu-160 is a four-winged monoplane variable geometry. The maximum speed at high altitude is around 2000 k / h and about 1030 k / ha sea level, the practical ceiling is about 16 000 meters; operating with maximum load without refuelling is about 14 000 kilometres The scope with maximum load reaches about 10 500 km.; Take-off (with the maximum load) is about 2200 meters. The scale of the TU-160 is 55,7-35,6 meters (depends on the aflechamiento). The plane measured 54.1 meters long and 13.1 m. high; his wing surface is about 360 to 400 m2.
The device is equipped with navigation equipment and aim it provides an automatic flight and use of weapons of day or night in all weather conditions and area of operations, comprising bistatic radar detection and targeting and electronic-optical viewfinder, ensures a launching bombs with very high precision, whether day or night. Among other TU-160 highlights a system of laser beam to proceed against ground targets semi-guided bombs.
The bomber carrying their weapons in two warehouses in tandem, inside the fuselage. Depending on the type of armament mission is different. For the twelve strategic missions carries cruise missiles X-55 with conventional or nuclear warheads, two launchers installed type "drum" (similar to that of a revolver), and missiles aerobalísticos hypersonic X-15 (24 in four missile launchers) .
Numerous benefits TU-160 have been confirmed by world record 44.
During exercises carried out in April 2006, a Tu-160 came to Canada through the North Pole without being detected by any U.S. air defence system.
