Soviet...err, Russian Air Power

Russian strategic bombers conducted flights within the U.S. defense zone close to northern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands last week in Moscow’s latest incident of nuclear saber rattling against the United States, according to defense and military officials.

Two Bear H nuclear-capable bombers were detected flying into the military’s Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) near the Aleutians, where a strategic missile defense radar is located, and Alaska’s North Slope region by the Arctic and Chukchi Seas on April 28 and 29, military officials told the Washington Free Beacon.

Lt. Cmdr. Bill Lewis, a spokesman with the U.S. Northern Command, confirmed the fighter intercept of the latest bomber incursion but declined to provide details.

“Two U.S. F-22′s from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, were launched and visually identified Russian aircraft on the night of April 28, as the Russian Air Force flew standard out of area flights near Alaska,” Lewis said.

More At: http://freebeacon.com/bears-buzz-alaska-again/



 
What's the year again? 2013 or 1980? Apparently Russia never got the memo, the "Cold War" ended...or maybe we didn't get the memo and the past 21 years was actually an arms build-up and the flames of the "Cold War" have been rekindled.

Here we sit, under sequestration, with a downsized, decrepit and worn out military from 12 years of war in the Mid-East. Mean while the United Socialist Soviet Republics...err, Russian Federation with it's leader former KGB Agent Vladimir Putin have been retooling and upgrading the matériel, hardware and munitions of the old Soviet republic and building newer ones.

An example:

Russian Federation's newest ICBM;


RT-2UTTKh Topol-M ICBM

Nato Reporting Name: SS-27 "Sickle B"

Date of Service: 1997-Present

Guidance System: Inertial with GLONASS (Russian GPS)

Warhead: Single 800 kt warhead or MIRV – 4 or 7 x 150–250 kt

Launch Platform: Silo, Mobile Launcher

Accuracy: 200m CEP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topol-M


United States Newest ICBM;

LGM-30 Minuteman III

Date of Service: 1970-Current

Guidance System: Inertial

Warhead: One 475kt W87

Launch Platform: Silo

Accuracy: 200m CEP



So as the Russian Federation is armed with newer systems and making even newer ones...we're armed with 1970's design systems, with less range, accuracy, warhead payload and a lesser guidance system.