Posted on 12/10/2018 9:38:23 AM PST by PeteePie
Russia is deploying nuclear-capable Tu-160 Blackjack bombers to Venezuela this week as part of an increasingly provocative pattern of bomber training flights, according to American defense officials.
At least two Blackjacks will fly from a strategic forces air base in Russia to Venezuela as part of a series of training exercises that will include long-range refueling, said officials familiar with Russian plans for the flight.
The bomber foray to South America will be Russia's seventh training flight for Blackjack bombers in the past three months.
Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon official and specialist on the Russian military, said Tu-160 flights are unusual and increasing.
"There were six announced Tu-160 flights of the ‘provocative' type during the last three months, which is a lot," Schneider said.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
Ping.
And I was thinking they were going to cash in at 21 in Vegas.
Enterprising, low paid Engles Air Base pilots would get RICH loading up food, toilet paper,tampons, and other sundry to sell in Venezuela.
Nah, they’re for target practice for Colombian and Brazilian fighter pilots.
From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the Venezuelan Bomber Crisis.
Huh. I parked the jet over there and went to the bathroom and now it's gone...
How many hungry children will this feed?
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Russia's push into Ukraine has put many on edge. But less known is that Russia is also strengthening its military links south of the Rio Grande and re-establishing itself as a power in the region.
Vladimir Putin has been strengthening military links here, and Russia is now the largest arms dealer to governments in Latin America, surpassing the United States.
Russia has even floated the possibility of building new military bases in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, and putting its warships permanently in the Caribbean.
In the midst of the Ukraine crisis, Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov recently visited Cuba, Peru, Chile, and Nicaragua, where he announced that Russia would also pour money into the new Central American canal project. ..."
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/140508/russian-arms-military-trade-latin-america
___________________________________________________
BY: Bill Gertz
February 20, 2015
Russia agreed to provide military training for three leftist regimes in Latin America and increase military visits and exercises following a visit last week to the region by Moscow's Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu, Pentagon officials said.
Shoygu met with defense and military leaders in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua and signed several agreements on warship visits and military training during the visit, which ran from Feb. 11 to 14. It is not clear whether any new arms deals were completed during the visit.
Defense officials said the Russian leader is seeking bases in the region for strategic bomber flights that Shoygu recently promised would include flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/russia-boosts-arms-training-for-leftist-latin-militaries/
Shoot them out of the sky.
I wonder if Hugo can really smell the sulfur now?
Maduro looks like a doofus... Obama’s up for the struggle, as always.
We’re in Ukraine and even the Black Sea and meddled in regime change that installed a pro-West gov and they’re in Venezuela. Like it or not, we really can’t fault Russia. Especially since we’ve been AWOL about problems building in our hemisphere.
They’d probably cancel the flights if we sailed away from the Crimea...
He said that about GW Bush at the U.N.
How much Toilet Paper can they stuff into them?
Wait until the INF treaty is no longer in force and watch what happens in Venezuela.
With all the fine engineering on display, none of that could collapse. /s
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