Russian bombers flying near Plymouth gathered ‘valuable intelligence’

 

RUSSIAN bombers which were caught flying close to the Cornish coast are likely to have gathered “valuable intelligence”, senior military figures have warned.

The two long-range Russian “Bear” planes – which are capable of carrying nuclear missiles– were intercepted by RAF jets in UK airspace in February.

But they are believed to have gained vital information about UK defences, experts have now warned.

The Nation’s ICBM Force: Increasingly Creaky Broken Missiles

As the Air Force begins to dust off plans for the Minuteman III ICBM replacement, a stark choice faces the service.

On one hand, the time has come to replace them. On the other, the Air Force is strapped for cash, victim to a perfect storm of bureaucratic bloat, several rounds of defense cuts, and a fighter fleet exhausted by war and age.