MOSCOW. Oct 4 (Interfax-AVN) - Tupolev Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers carried out aerial refueling during a Long-Range Aviation drill, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
"The duration of the flight was between five and ten hours; the crews covered up to 8,000 kilometers," the ministry said in a statement.
Air-to-air refueling "is an element of Long-Range Aviation pilot training which substantially increases the combat radius and enables [crews] to accomplish objectives far from the base," the statement said.
Refueling was carried out in daytime and at night at altitudes of over 5,000 meters and at a speed of about 600 kilometers per hour, with additional use of lighting equipment installed both on the tanker and the receiver, the ministry said.
The exercise began on Tuesday, October 2, as part of the Armed Forces' combat-readiness checks for 2018 and involves over 30 Tu-160, Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, and Il-78 crews.