Before delving into the matter itself, we should note that there are only 13 Tu-160 strategic bomber aircraft in russian service, and three more Tu-160M are still listed as "in test" in The Military Balance 2024 assessment by IISS.
This shows how big of an event it is for the Kremlin to dispatch even two Tu-160s into Africa. Initially, the plan was for these two Tu-160s to land at one of the airfields of the South African Republic on October 29, 2024, and return on November 1. The arrival of russian strategic aviation in South Africa was supposed to be synchronized with the visit of Pretoria's defense ministry delegation to Moscow, which took place on October 28, 2024.
Read more: Wounded North Korean Soldier Tells of Battle with Ukrainians and russian Attitudes toward Koreans (Video)
Worth noting, a similar event, i.e. arrival and landing in South Africa, was carried out by the russian strategic aviation in 2019, the destination being Venezuela.
This time, the expected landing place for the russian bombers was the Waterkloof air base near the city of Pretoria, the capital of the SAR. The two Tu-160s were supposed to be escorted by an Il-62 and An-124 with personnel and equipment.
As of now, however, the situation is as follows: the planned flight of strategic aviation to South Africa did not take place within the specified time frame, the new estimated date of the arrival is currently not announced, and the russian side does not comment anything.
Western media assume that one possible reason for the postponement of this visit was the objections from one of the parties within the coalition government of the South African Republic. They said the arrival of the Tu-160s "may violate the neutrality" of the country regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, so they suggested, if the russian military were invited to visit, then a similar invitation should be given to the Ukrainian military as well.
Earlier, Defense Express analyzed how many Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS, Tu-160, and MiG-31K pilots there may be in russia, and if it would be easy to eliminate them. There is also an interesting story behind how Mbombe 6x6 armored vehicles ended up in service with the Ukrainian armed forces.
Read more: How India's Fleet of 262 Su-30MKI Became a Loophole for russia to Get French Electronics
