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.]

FMI: www.af.mil