Andrewgr2 wrote
Don't the French mind the infringement of 'their' airspace?
According to a Russian Air Force spokesman the Tu-95s were intercepted by French fighters.
Two TU-95 strategic bombers (dubbed 'Bear' by NATO) have taken off from Russia's Engels air base on the Volga River on Thursday, and have successfully completed their tasks according to an air patrol plan, Russian Air Force spokesman Colonel Ivan Klimov said in a statement.
The flight route passed above neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas, as well as the Atlantic Ocean, the colonel said, adding that the flights lasted for over 19 hours, with two midair refueling operations carried out during the mission.
The bombers were accompanied by Russian Air Force MiG-31 supersonic interceptor aircraft. At some stages, the patrolling aircraft were escorted by UK, Norwegian and French fighter jets, Klimov said.
Russia's Air Force spokesman said that the air patrol flights were carried out according to an approved plan, and were conducted in strict compliance with international regulations of the use of airspace above neutral waters, without violating other countries' borders.
http://rt.com/uk/227355-british-typh...ssian-bombers/