European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 22, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday. August 22, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 the world s largest and heaviest bomber the soviet Tu-160, dubbed the Blackjack by nato Fortes during its Public debut sunday in Moscow. Soviets unveil their deadly Bac cac a bomber Moscow a another Barrier fell to glasnost sunday As the soviets revealed to their own people and the world at Large the deadliest weapon in their air Force Arsenal the Needle nosed Strate Gic bomber nato Calls the Blackjack. Bedevilled by a Chain of recent mishaps including plane crushes and the highly publicized detection of a fighter Pilot the soviet air Force May have needed some Good publicity and in a Darling three hour air show the country s first in More than 20 years it showed any soviets and foreign doubters that it still very much has the right stuff. Although Western air attaches who at tended said they saw Little that was new the aviation sports Holiday was clearly in line with the openness policy pursued by the Kremlin under president Mikhail Gorbachev which has also brought an casing of the once obsessive secrecy about military affairs. Assembled on the grass at Kushino air Field in Northwest Moscow More than 150,000 people saw the supersonic Blackjack bomber known Here As Thetu-160 Streak by along with other aeronautics novelties like the Pontoon winged floating amphibious Rescue plane the Ilyushin 96 jetliner and the Cigar shaped Tu-204, called the soviet version of the Boeing 757 by westerners. The Tu-160, which the Pentagon says is the largest and heaviest bomber in the world flashed out of the North Over Tushi no at a height of Only 250 to 300 Yards it four thundering Jet engines Icavinda yellow smudge of exhaust behind in the sky. Flying at about 380 Mph the Black Jack with a nose that makes it look a into the concorde supersonic jetliner shot past the Airfield in seconds then peeled off toward the South and the High Rise towers of a Moscow residential District. Despite or perhaps because of its nato designation Blackjack was painted a dazzling White. According to the Pentagon s 1988 study soviet military Power the bomber has maximum Speed of Mach 2 and an untre Fulcd combat Range of about 4,500 Miles. It reportedly can carry a loads of bombs or air launched cruise missiles. . Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci was invited to inspect a Black the 11-96-300 jetliner during the soviet Union s first air show in 22 years. Jack bomber at Lubinka air base near Moscow last August and saw it Fly. But sunday s flight was the first before the general Public. According to Jane s All the world s aircraft 1988-89," the soviets arc expected to build at least 100 blackjacks at a new Complex in Kazan. Eleven had been completed by 1988, Jane s said. The logic of developing and deploying the bomber came under fire just in time for its unveiling in the weekly Magazine Ogo Nyok which again proved that taboos about criticizing the soviet defense establishment arc much less restrictive under Gorbachev. Ogo Nyok said the Tu-160 project began Long ago As a forced though expensive measure to reciprocate for the . Decision to build the bib bomber. Each Blackjack costs the soviet people millions of rubles the Magazine said. It said that it was hard to Square the Cost with recent news that free restaurants for the soviet poor have opened in soviet cities including Moscow and Leningrad the Magazine said. The Kushino air show the soviets first since 1967, was officially held to celebrate aviation Day marked every August 20. The show its Cost pegged by soviet officials at 800,000 rubles $ q million was Osten Sibly staged by do Saaf. A voluntary organization that serves As the soviet armed forces air attaches however suggested that one purpose of the show May have been to give the soviet people a More favourable image of their air Force in july a pilotless Mig-23 flew Halfway across Europe and crashed in Belgium kill ing an 18-year-old Man after its soviet Pilot ejected Over Poland. The previous month a Mic-29 fighter crashed at the prestigious Paris air show. A joint soviet a re non commission established that a Bird had been sucked into the engine causing the crash. Earlier this year a soviet Pilot defected to Turkey in a Mig-29. Utah woman carrying guns detained in Manila Manila Philippines a a Utah woman was arrested at the International Airport sunday after authorities found 70 handguns in six containers she brought with her on a flight from san Francisco an official said. Dominique Adams said she was promised a Job in the Philippines if she took the containers to Manila said capt. Francisco Tayor a spokesman for the Philippines sir Force. The weapons consisted of .45-caliber, .38-Calibcr, and .25-caliber pistols packed in six containers with markings identifying the contents As Auto parts Tayor said. Adams 22, of Salt Lake City told investigators that a Man identified As Carlos i Adilla gave the boxes to her in san Francisco where she boarded the philippine airlines flight to Manila Tayor said. Padilla s nationality was not known Tayor said. Adams told reporters that she was introduced to Padilla by a Friend Jill Hasson of prove Utah. Adams said she had left her 3-year-old daughter in Padilla s hands and that she was worried about her child s safety Tayor said. Her brother Joseph Adams of Spanish Fork Utah said he Learned of his sister s detention from broadcast reports on sunday. He said he last saw his sister when she dropped by last week 19 say she was leaving for California to train fora new Job. She came in for five minutes to my brother s shop and said she had gotten a new Job that Day he said. She seemed very excited about it and that s All i know. She did t say what company or if she did 1 did t pay much he said that he understood that his Niece was left with her Roommate in Salt Lake City. The last 1 heard from my Mother is that she was left with a Girlfriend named Jill who was apparently involved with this company Joseph Adams said add ing that he had no reason to believe the youngster had been taken to Manila
