On the 17
th of August the president of the Russian Federation Putin V.V. announced the renewal of flights of the Russian strategic aircraft: "At 00.00 from seven air stations in different parts of the Russian Federation 14 strategic rocket carriers, planes of tactical support and fuel transporters went aloft. Combat duty in which all in all 20 aerial vehicles participate has begun. From this day duties of similar character will be carried out on regular basis. This duty has strategic character. Already today, at this very moment the planes will stay in the air approximately 20 hours with reloading in interconnection with Navy".
The most important words here - combat duty.
Even in the USSR in a peace time the units of long-range aviation did not pull duty but carried out flights according to plans of combat training. At that nuclear ammunition are not put into the planes, they are situated on the technical repair bases located near air stations.
Long-range aviation takes fighting duty only during the threatened period, that is on the eve of the war. At increase of alertness the planes of long-range aviation are being equipped by nuclear ammunition, reloading of cruise missiles is being made. That is what is called combat duty. Such combat duty took place only once in the history of the USSR.
From January, 1985 till April, 1987 within 26 months combat duty was carried out in the appointed zones of groupings of strategic planes of the USSR and the USA with weapon onboard (however, most likely, non-nuclear - according to the last Minister of Defense of the USSR, marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Jazov, during Soviet time long-range aviation went aloft to carry out combat duty without nuclear ammunition). Then it was found out that there were no resources for continuation of combat duty. In this connection, mass-media expressed doubts that on the previous Friday two tens of strategic bombers were equipped by six cruise missiles with nuclear ammunition and sent to the frontiers of possible attack. However, the present day dispelled all doubts...
As the commander-in-chief of the Air Forces of the Russian Federation Alexander Zelin informed today at coordination meeting of the incorporated system of antiaircraft defense of the CIS, planes of long-range aviation of Military-Air forces of Russia will renew constant flights with regular arms. Especially A.Zelin noted, that planes will be equipped by nuclear rockets.
Today Russia has fewer resources, than the USSR has and therefore present combat duty of air strategic rocket carriers couldn't be long in any case ... There are two variants: or they will set on fighting course and go into the real assault or will stand on still for ever. Why then they "talk nonsense"?
However nuclear rockets and bombs onboard strategists are garden rattle - they appear there only as a last resort when, usually, war is already forcing a door. For example, at the height of the Caribbean crisis in the end of October, 1962 they replaced on the Soviet strategic bombers regular armaments on nuclear, commanders of the ships were given sealed packages which they should open under the radiogramm from the ground and lifted machines into the air.
Fortunately, soon they were returned back and packages with the instruction of fighting tasks for each crew remained unopened. In opinion of many historians, the world then was separated from the beginning of nuclear war approximately 40 minutes...
It's curious that during the Caribbean crisis continuous combat duty of 20 % of strategic aircraft of the USA in air was organized. And on August, 17th under the order of the President of the Russian Federation 14 rocket carriers, that is also approximately 20 % of the Russian strategic aircraft came on duty.
