During one such flight, supersonic Tu-160 aircraft remained in the air for over 15 hours, re-tanking in mid-air, according to the website.
Russian strategic bombers regular fly in the vicinity of NATO member states, but recently their operations have intensified, especially last week, defence24.pl said.
Testing response
It’s possible that their aim is to test the response of NATO forces during the coronavirus outbreak, which may over time affect crew readiness, according to the website.
Russian Tu-95 and Tu-160 planes have been appearing more often than usual in the region between Greenland, Iceland and Britain, even reaching the coast of Ireland, the website reported.
The tasks of the Russian aircraft include determining the response time and range of radar stations guarding this region, defence24.pl added.
(pk)
Source: defence24.pl