Here we go again!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...type=printable


Russia's nuclear forces reportedly are preparing their largest maneuvers in two decades, an exercise involving the test-firing of missiles and flights by dozens of bombers in a massive simulation of an all-out nuclear war

The business newspaper Kommersant said the exercise was set for mid-February and would closely resemble a 1982 Soviet exercise dubbed the "seven-hour nuclear war" that put the West on edge.

Kommersant said the maneuvers would involve Tu-160 strategic bombers test-firing cruise missiles over the northern Atlantic. Analysts describe such an exercise as an imitation of a nuclear attack on the United States.

Other groups of bombers will fly over Russia's Arctic regions and test-fire missiles at a southern range near the Caspian Sea, the newspaper said.

Could be they want to see if it still works?

Also to show locals that they still have some power?

Tu-160?......................hell I'd rather fly flight 233 from Heathrow to NY?

I do not believe that the have sufficient volumes of serviceable kit to present a real threat?

Cheers

/jenjen moves all her computers to her lead lined underground (200ft deep) bomb shelter.

nihil, whatever do you mean ? "sufficient volumes of serviceable kit" ..

who cares if the airplanes can't fly ? they have a sufficent number of long range nukes.

Should be a bit interesting for the intelegence communities of the west. Hunting for terrorists and finding the resorses to watch a Soviet exersise. Still i bet it will be more fun for the Russian forces than all the TEWTS (tactical exersise without troops) we used to have. God they were boring.

"Soviet exersise" what Soviet, i thaught soviet union broke in 1999 :)

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Tu-160?......................hell I'd rather fly flight 233 from Heathrow to NY?

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they can fly nihil, they sure can fly. The performance of the Russian Tu-160 Blackjack is often compared to the US B-1B. The aircraft has an operational range of 14,000km and a service ceiling of 16,000m. The maximum flight speed is 2,000kph at high altitude and 1,030kph at low altitude.. The Tu-16 is capable of carrying the strategic cruise missile Kh-55MS, which is known in the West by the NATO designation and codename AS-15 Kent. Up to twelve Kh-55MS missiles can be carried, six in each bay. The Kh-55MS is propelled by a turbofan engine. The maximum range is 3,000km, and it is armed with a 200-kiloton nuclear warhead.

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who cares if the airplanes can't fly ? they have a sufficent number of long range nukes

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Here an analogy for you. Take a little wastebasket on to a football field and try and toss a tennis ball into it from the opposite goal. Now walk up to it about 4 feet away, like your an airplane and toss it in. Much easier target, plus the time it takes you to reach the rubbishbin with your tennis ball is MUCH quicker. Perhaps even quick enough to destroy a counterstrike in reality. I would bet an airplane equiped with good pilots, stealth and electronic counter measures is very dangerous when loaded to the gills with nukes.

I haven't been watching Russia since attention has been elswhere. What is going on over there? Power change? Political climate shift? Increase in revenue? As for the TU-160 I think Nihol was wondering if they had the money and logistics in place to put them up there again. That takes a sohpisticated and organized infrastructure. Isn't it remarkable how much it looks like a B1???

Nihil hit the real question, what do they have and is it enough to pose a threat. Is it internally motiviated or does our (US) actions have direct results into a rekindling of activity on their part. etc etc etc.

The Russians should see to it that their planes still fly. Of course, nobody misses the political implications here: Putin will look strong and hearken back to a time when Russia was more muscular. It is a show of force.

That's what I am guessing, plus it means they have some money saved up.

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President Vladimir Putin is expected to personally oversee the maneuvers, which are apparently aimed at demonstrating the revival of the nation's military might and come ahead of Russian elections in March.

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I think this says it all. Putin unlike Bush can really go to war to bolster his election hopes. the last time anyone tried that in Russia was chechennia (sorry if it spelt wrong). He can send a clear message to his electors that Russia still has a military force and enough finances to hold the exercise. The fact that it is an exercise that is geared towards a war with the USA means that its objective is to show as much of Russia's hardware as possiable. Also its lets them hold the exercise in a high media area i.e. the north atlantic. The inteligence community wont have to divert many rescources as they will get all the information they need from cnn,sky, the bbc, etc.
It is a good deal for everybody really.

Then again perhaps you guys are reading into it to much! Maybe they are just having a military exercice(sp?) Dont read into it to much :) They are going to fly up in some delapidated planes and blow the piss outta one of there mountains! We have military exercices(sp? ARG!) all the time, i wounder if people in Russia get freaked out when we do? :)