After the Fall of the Soviet Union, Russia quit flying those sorties, and mothballed their fleet sometime around 1990. It was expensive and pointless.
The TU-95, a variant-upgrade of the TU-142, is their most durable heavy-lifter for bombs, and compares favourably with our B-52. I'll post some links later here.
I'll also post what links I still have to some of stories mentioned here (I lost some while trying to save my bookmarks - wish I was better at this 'puter stuff).
Well, that's my opinion, and I'm stickin' to it! I hope President Bush is working on something like this.
The UN is a joke, and, like the 'League-of-Nations', should cease-to-exist! Flame away...
very interesting theory!!
There's more: A Chinese sub apparently was able to sneak-up on the USS Kittyhawk today, within torpedo range, then surfaced and waved! Just heard on DRUDGE!
Any ping lists welcome - I don't have one..........FRegards
bttt
What about this idea?:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1736972/posts?page=14#14
ping
Boy, gonz, you've spent some serious midnight oil on this. Good observations, and certainly a credible theory. I'm not sure what to make of it ...
There's an almost perfect storm brewing.
And you're right about those WMD; nearly everyone tasked with finding Iraq's WMD believes they are in Syria.
Moshe Yaalon, who was Israel's top general, said Iraq transported WMD to Syria six weeks before Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
John A. Shaw, a former U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said Russian Spetsnaz units moved WMD to Syria and Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
"While in Iraq I received information from several sources naming the exact Russian units, what they took and where they took both WMD materials and conventional explosives," Mr. Shaw told NewsMax reporter Charles Smith.
Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong was deputy commander of Central Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In September 2004, he told WABC radio that "I do know for a fact that some of those weapons went into Syria, Lebanon and Iran."
In January 2004, David Kay, the first head of the Iraq Survey Group which conducted the search for Saddam's WMD, told a British newspaper there was evidence unspecified materials had been moved to Syria from Iraq shortly before the war.
"We know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddam's WMD program," Mr. Kay told the Sunday Telegraph.
Also that month, Nizar Nayuf, a Syrian journalist who defected to an undisclosed European country, told a Dutch newspaper he knew of three sites where Iraq's WMD was being kept. They were the town of al Baida near the city of Hama in northern Syria; the Syrian air force base near the village of Tal Snan, and the city of Sjinsar on the border with Lebanon.
In an addendum to his final report last April, Charles Duelfer, who succeeded David Kay as head of the Iraq Survey Group, said he couldn't rule out a transfer of WMD from Iraq to Syria.
"There was evidence of a discussion of possible WMD collaboration initiated by a Syrian security officer, and ISG received information about movement of material out of Iraq, including the possibility that WMD was involved. In the judgment of the working group, these reports were sufficiently credible to merit further investigation," Mr. Duelfer said.
In a briefing for reporters in October 2003, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper Jr., who was head of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency when the Iraq war began, said satellite imagery showed a heavy flow of traffic from Iraq into Syria just before the American invasion.
"I think the people below Saddam Hussein and his sons' level saw what was coming and decided the best thing to do was to destroy and disperse," Lt. Gen. Clapper said.
bumping for later...
Nope.
bttt
bombs away captain ...
Well, considering Mr. IwannaJihad hates the Russians, too, for spoiling the plans of the World Islamic State in the 'stans', and with the help of Dear Leader, has missles that can reach Russia in short order, I would think it prudent for the Russians to take measures to protect themselves. And if that means a pre-emptive strike against a Nuke facility in Iran, so be it. Russia knows WE certainly won't be voting to condemn them at the UN.
The SCO exercises were designed to subdue a renegade country. That exercise may point to North Korea. China and Russia may attack that country jointly if it doesn't comply and stop building nukes.
BTTT
Stay well and armed 'cause I'll be camping out at your place, LOL.
Leni
later readin.
btt
bttt