This is Not a Drill, But It's OK.
One of the most famous
Cold War icons, the B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber, landed at
Zhukovsky, near Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, to participate in the
6th Moscow Space and Aviation Show.
This is the first public display in Russia for the B-52, an
aircraft designed to deliver nuclear bombs into the former Soviet
Union during the Cold War.
"For half of my career, I never though I would be standing here
watching American airplanes land on this airfield," said Col.
Stephen Mueller, the 52nd Fighter Wing commander from Spangdahlem
Air Base, Germany, and the U.S. military’s mission commander
at the air show. "The B-52 is a great symbol of the Cold War and of
the nuclear standoff between the former Soviet Union and the U.S.
This B-52 landing puts finality to that era and opens a new one to
security cooperation with the Russian military."
All air and vehicle traffic around the airfield was stopped to
make way for the landing of the B-52 from the 5th Bomb Wing at
Minot Air Force Base (ND). Crowds swarmed around the long-range
bomber as it parked at the end of a long row of Russian military
aircraft.
Russian air force Col. Magomed Tolboev greeted the crew members
as they climbed out of the aircraft. He is a former Soviet Union
pilot and cosmonaut who tested military aircraft at this once
secret air base. It is he who is peering out the pilot's window in
the shot below. "I’ve been in many Russian bombers, and this
is very similar," he said. "Everyone in the world was afraid of the
B-52. It was a symbol of the Cold War. Now that it’s here on
Russian ground on such a beautiful, sunny day; it’s a great
symbol of our friendship."
This is the first time a B-52 and five other U.S. military
aircraft have been in Russia on public display, but the second B-52
to fly into Russia. The first occurred in the early 1990s on a
military contact visit, but the display was not open to the
public.
Air show visitors will get a close-up look at five U.S. Air
Force aircraft and see a daily F-15 Eagle aerial demonstration
flight along with MiG-29s and Su-27s piloted by Russian Air Force
flight-demonstration teams.
The other U.S. military aircraft on display are the F-16
Fighting Falcon, F-15E Strike Eagle, KC-135 Stratotanker and C-130
Hercules. The air show ends Sunday.
[Thanks to Master Sgt. Kenneth Fidler, U.S. Air Forces in Europe
Public Affairs, for the story and the photo --ed.]