CIS Air Defense Practised on Russia’s Missile Carriers

Air defense divisions of Tadjikistan called on duty December 1, 2000
as part of the joint air defense system of CIS. Soldiers of the
launch crew in Tadjikistan run to shelter after they charged the
system.

KOMMERSANT Daily, APRIL 06, 2005

Double military exercise was held Tuesday in the air of eight countries
of CIS. At the final stage, strategic missile carriers Tu-160 and
Tu-95MS as well as bombers Tu-22M3 from the 22nd air division were
redeploying from Russia to Belarus, simultaneously acting as a
potential enemy for Belarus air defense.

In scale, the exercise held at 10:00 a.m., MSK, yesterday in the air
of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan and
Ukraine was well above the usual command-and-staff training. Chief of
Russia’s Air Force Staff, General-Colonel Boris Cheltsov said almost
60 planes were involved. Usually no more than 40 planes take part in
the exercise. Besides, Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Army General
Vladimir Mikhailov kept an eye on the exercise not from Russia’s
headquarters as he generally does, but from Dushanbe, Tadjikistan,
where he was supervising “Rubezh-2003” exercise.

Moreover, it was decided to combine the final stage of Russian
strategic air force exercise with the exercise of the CIS air
defense. En route from Russia to Belarus, Tu-160s, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3
were simulating the planes of an enemy. They were spotted by the
air force and air defense of Belarus, backed up by the long-range
radar detection aircraft A-50, which arrived from Ivanovo to the
effect. Once intercepted and conditionally destroyed, two strategic
missile carriers Tu-95MS and a couple of Tu-160s landed in Machulishchi
aerodrome near Minsk. For Russia’s Tu-22M3 it was the first landing
on the above airdrome. At the same time, four Tu-22M3s of Russia put
down in Baranovichy.