MOSCOW. May 22 (Interfax-AVN) - NATO fighter jets were escorting Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers above the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans for more than three hours on Wednesday, Russian Air Force Assistant Commander Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky told Interfax-AVN on Thursday.
"For the first time ever the strategic bombers had eight escorts of F-16, Tornado and Typhoon fighters during their flight and refueling," he said.
Two strategic bombers performed the planned 18-hour flight. Two Ilyushin Il-78 tanker aircraft refueled them while in the air, Drobyshevsky said.
The Russian Air Force always complies with international rules of flights above neutral waters and does not breach foreign borders, he said.
Russian strategic bombers regularly patrol the neutral areas of the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Black Sea from their bases and supplementary airfields.