Argentina sabre-rattling again.

UK sends warship to Falklands as Argentina lease supersonic bombers from Russia.

Saw this in the Sunday Express today: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/552676/UK-Falklands-warship-argentina-navy

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I wonder what Argentina are playing at now, as they really cannot afford such indulgences. ( Still massive areas of deprivation and abject poverty in Argentina ).

Who would they use such scary aircraft against anyway ?

They might not be all that expensive as these bombers are getting very old now. They are known by the NATO organisation as "Blackjack" bombers and I am sure that they must be close to the end of their useful life now.

Of course they could be used by Argentina for propaganda purposes.

I would like to think that Russia would not give Argentina any Atomic bombs with the TU-160 "Blackjack" even if that was what they were originally designed to carry.

Here is what they look like:

This confuses me, as I have seen nothing concerning this in the national TV news.

Neither have I Zath'.

One would think that such disturbing news would have been on the TV and in the Newspapers.

Time passes.........

Had a rake about and found the only mention of this in The Sunday Express.

Here it is: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/549006/Falkland-Islands-defence-review-after-military-deal-between-Russia-and-Argentina

Oh, and they say they are going to pay for these leases by sending beef and wheat to Russia ????

I have looked further into this and have found that the 12 planes Argentina are lease/lending from Russia are Sukhoi SU-24 ( known as "Fencer" to Nato ), and are long-range, all-weather "attack" aircraft that have been exported to a number of other ex-Soviet-bloc countries.

They are now quite old as they have been in service since 1974.

HERE is a wikipedia write-up on these aircraft.

I think it is more than a coincidence that these Russian aircraft look amazingly like the American F-14 and F-111 swing-wing fighter/bombers.