According to RIA Novosti news agency, the Russian Air Force could have the first six of 20 upgraded Su-24 tactical bombers next week. The other 14 would follow “in the near future,” according to a spokesman. Moscow expects eventually to replace the 1970s-vintage Su-24 with new Su-34 fighter-bombers. Meanwhile, the news agency reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s effort to reinvigorate its strategic bomber patrols, begun in late summer, has produced 70 flights. According to Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov, head of strategic aviation for the Russian Air Force, some 120 NATO aircraft launched to escort the Russian bombers, covering almost all their patrols. (Read more on the Russia front in this month’s “A Czar in the Making.”)
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
