MOSCOW – Russia’s Air Force has unveiled its latest project: a fighter jet dubbed “Valentina.” This is a model that is part of the resumed “Tu-160” production series. Tu-160 fighter jets are intercontinental-range military aircraft flown by two pilots. In NATO, these are codenamed “Blackjack”.
Russian fighter jet “Valentina”
The Russian Air Force’s fighter jet “Valentina” was named after Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, according to the state news agency TASS . She became the first woman to fly into space in 1963.
The new “Valentina” should now have an even greater range and be characterized by new defense systems. This is reported by the state news agency TASS .
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Vladimir Putin announced the modernization and further development of the Russian air force some time ago. The presentation of “Valentina” is now the first result. The background is, among other things, the use in the Ukraine war . In addition to rocket attacks, the aim of the Luftwaffe is above all reconnaissance.
The Russian Air Force recently caused a stir with this: three Russian military aircraft were intercepted by Dutch fighter jets near Polish airspace. However, these were not “Tu-160” models, but “F-35″ fighter jets. “After identification, it turned out to be three aircraft: a Russian IL-20M Coot-A escorted by two Su-27 flankers. The Dutch F-35s handed over the escort to the NATO partners,” the Ministry of Defense in the Netherlands said.
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Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister in Poland, reacted calmly to the deployment of the Russian fighter jets: “Putin and the Kremlin will go on – to more and more provocations. They will test NATO’s vigilance, cohesion and unity,” he said, according to the AFP news agency . “Therefore we must remain calm and respond swiftly – but unitedly – with our allies. All procedures worked again here.”
So far there has been no reaction from the Kremlin to the incident. Even when asked by the Reuters news agency , there was no statement on this.
Source: FR
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