Russia has resumed Cold War-style long-haul air missions to areas patrolled by NATO and the United States.
This afternoon a Russian bomber flew over a US naval base on the Pacific island of Guam and 'exchanged smiles' with US pilots who had been scrambled to track it.
Major-General Pavel Androsov, head of long-range aviation in the Russian air force, confirmed that Russia had decided to revive the tradition 'of long-range aviation to fly far into the ocean, to meet US aircraft carriers and greet US pilots visually'.
In recent years Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to boost defence spending in order to raise morale in the armed forces, which were starved of funding following the fall of the Soviet Union.
Major-General Androsov said the sortie by the two Tu-95MS bombers lasted for 13 hours.
The Tu95, a Russian Cold war icon, gives Russia the capability of launching a nuclear strike even if the nuclear arsenals on its own territory are wiped out.
During the Cold War such aircraft played elaborate airborne games of cat-and-mouse with Western air forces.
Under Mr Putin, the Russian Airforce is no longer in need of fuel, enjoys better maintenance and much higher wages. This contrasts with the 1990s, when many pilots were grounded because there was no money to buy fuel.
