Today, December 23, 2019 Long-Range Aviation celebrates the 105th anniversary of its founding. The holiday established in 1999 dates back to 1914. On that day Emperor Nicholas II approved the decree on the formation of the first bomb squadron of Ilya Muromets, the largest aircraft in the world of that time. Designed and built by the Russian engineer Igor Sikorsky, the Ilya Muromets aircraft set world records for range, flight duration and payload.
Today, long-range aviation is one of the components of the nuclear triad along with submarines and strategic missile forces. More than 200 aircraft are in service with the Russian aerospace forces long-range aviation, including the Tu-95MS turboprop strategic missile carriers, Tu-160 supersonic missile carriers, Tu-22M3 long-range multi-role missile carriers and Il-78 tanker aircrafts.
The editors of AviaPressPhoto congratulate all those involved in the holiday and offer to enjoy beautiful photos.
