Russians redeploy a third of their bombers to Olenya airfield – Defense Express
Satellite images have indicated that Russia has transferred a third of its strategic bombers, including 12 Tu-95MS and 13 Tu-22M3, to the Olenya airfield in Russia’s Murmansk Oblast.
Source: Defense Express with reference to satellite images
Quote: "Satellite images of the Russian Olenya airfield in Murmansk Oblast have appeared in open access. As of 15 May 2024, the images show 12 Tu-95MS strategic bombers, 13 Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, one Tu-160 and two An-12 military transport aircraft."
Details: Defense Express noted that the Olenya airfield is one of the main airfields the Russian Aerospace Forces use during large-scale missile strikes on Ukraine.
Quote: "In this case, we can refer to the assessments made at various times by the UK Ministry of Defence and Ukraine’s Defence Ministry, stating that the Russian Aerospace Forces' strategic aircraft fleet consists of approximately 40 Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers of each type.
Which means that the Russians have currently gathered almost a third of their total combat-ready bombers of these types at the Olenya airfield."
Details: Defense Express added that the presence of a third of the combat-ready Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers at such a remote airbase might indicate not only preparations by Russia for new strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure but also an effort to protect their most valuable aircraft from potential attacks.
In addition, Defense Express pointed out that An-12 military transport aircraft were also detected at the airfield, which could possibly be involved in transporting cruise missiles to accumulate them at the airbase.
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