Tu-160's visit Venezuela
 

It appears Russia are spreading their wings so to speak and the US is not amused.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-46522358

Think they visited in 2008 and 2013 based on reports.

It may be totally unrelated, but didn't Venezuela miss a few of their oil payments-in-kind to Russia recently? Just sayin'...

Wow - They look like serious pie preparation machines,

Why do so many Russian pilots appear rotund, is it perhaps mandated forced feeding for G tolerance purposes?

IG

Maybe the Russians are less obsessed with body mass and more concerned with flying capability. These days in the RAF it seems if you arent built like a racing snake you get nagged into running every day. Glad I left before all this stuff got a hold

Lossie launched two Typhoons on a QRA in response to the Russian aircraft with the Typhoons reported to be carrying the MBDA Meteor missile , story here ;
https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles...h-new-missile/ .

There was a time when people didn't lose their minds when a crew, or a section of aircraft, went on a cross country flight for training.
Here's an idea: training sortie, intercontinental flight for an aircraft that is built with that kind of range in mind.
And if a little political "show the flag" comes with it, bonus.
Maybe a little exercise with a military one has worked with before.
That's a bit rich, Mr Secretary. But for raw comic relief, check out the Madurite's hyperbole.
You have oil, and you stink at developing your reserves because you eat your seed corn, Señor Moron.
Your government is in the process of destroying your country from within, and doing a brilliant job of it. Nobody outside need lift a finger.

It's almost like I am watching a sketch on Saturday Night Live, or listening to the Goon Show.

This isn't just training LW, it's politicians sending messages to one another.

Yup, you put troops on my back door and I can reciprocate.

Brave reporter lol
 

Love the Brass-Eye-esque RT report with the bat**** graphics. Also impressed they're giving a group of fat o!d blokes a trip to Venezuela.

Maybe the thin young thin blokes were all unfit to fly having incurred injuries playing sport, running etc in order to "get fit". Fortunately the old fat guys were just about able to roll out of the aircrew feeder and fly a sophisticated supersonic aircraft on a long range overseas deployment.

Lucky by my take!