Russia is increasingly flexing its military muscles by penetrating Western airspace.

European defense officials have been worried about an increasing number of Russian bombers entering Western airspace.

A pair of Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack bombers — the largest jet-powered combat aircraft ever built, capable of carrying nuclear missiles — last month entered British airspace over Northern Scotland, Deutsche Welle reports.

Two Tornado fighter jets from the British air force intercepted the supersonic bombers, accompanying them for four hours until they left British airspace.

Similar incidents have occurred in recent years; London has said Russian planes have penetrated British airspace more than 20 times since the start of 2009.

Stefan Meister, a Russia expert with the German Council on Foreign Relations, said that some penetrations might be accidental. He didn't rule out that there a Kremlin-authored strategy might be behind them.

"The infiltration into the airspace is one of the ways the Russians try to prove that Russia is still a power that should be treated with the respect," Meister told United Press International in a telephone interview.

A friend of military muscle-flexing, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in 2007 reactivated long-range patrols by nuclear-capable bombers after they hadn't been sent out over the world's oceans for 15 years.

The move came as the Kremlin expanded its grasp into the Arctic, as one of its submarines planted a flag in the seabed in territory it considers its own at the North Pole in 2007.

The Arctic is being transformed by climate change.

Melting ice sheets will leave the oceans in the region possibly ice-free during the summer months. This is opening a new Atlantic-Pacific shipping channel and makes the vast oil and gas resources lying under the seabed more accessible.

Patrol flights over Arctic waters have increased and Russia has given no sign that this will change – much the contrary.

Putin this year announced he wants to beef up the Russian air force.

The Kremlin in February unveiled its fifth-generation fighter jet and Putin wants his country's military industry to start working on a new strategic bomber.

A launch of a new bomber program would be a giant project for the Russian aviation industry, which has been helped by numerous orders and major financial aid packages over the past years. Yet it's only one step of many that will see a major overhaul of the Russian air fleet.

Moscow plans to commission 1,500 new planes and helicopters to modernize the air force by 80 percent, the government said.

earlier related report

World leaders forced to skip Poland funeral
Krakow (AFP) April 17, 2010 –

World leaders grounded by a shutdown of Europe's airspace were forced to skip the funeral of Poland's president although some European guests took to the roads Saturday to make it in time.

As airports across Europe remained closed to avoid any risk from a massive cloud of volcanic ash, top guests from US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Britain's Prince Charles and South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-Chan announced they could not attend Sunday's funeral.

It was not immediately clear Saturday evening whether Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev would also be forced to stay away because of the volcano cloud from Iceland which spanned Europe Saturday forcing a no-fly zone over much of the continent.

Dozens of leaders had been expected Sunday in Krakow for the funeral of Lech Kaczynski, killed in an air crash a week ago with his wife and 94 other members of Poland's elite in Smolensk, western Russia.

EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso cancelled his planned trip to Krakow "as he cannot travel by air", his spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen said.

Spain announced Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero could not be there and South Korea said it would be represented by its ambassador to Poland.

Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf was unable to travel because of the flight restrictions while Foreign Minister Carl Bildt was unable to drive because he would not make it back in time to honour other engagements, officials said.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also cancelled their trip.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer will be represented by his country's ambassador, his spokesman said.

Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson could leave his country, home to the volcano spewing the disruptive ash drifting southeastwards into Europe, but would not find an open airport to fly into, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

Finland's President Tarja Halonen also pulled out while Norway and Denmark were waiting to see if their political and royal representatives could attend.

Merkel was stranded in Lisbon Friday following her arrival from a visit to the United States. She cancelled the trip to Krakow as she was returning to Germany by car from Rome. She was to spend the night in northern Italy.

Leaders of countries closer to Poland resorted to the roads and railways Saturday to be able to pay their last respects to Kaczynski.

Slovenian President Danilo Turk decided to drive, his office said, facing a journey of about 850 kilometres (530 miles).

Romanian President Traian Basescu would travel to northwestern Romania by helicopter and then continue by car through Hungary and Slovakia, his office said.

A spokeswoman for Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said Friday he was ready to make the 1,300-kilometre, 18-hour drive to the funeral if air travel remained disrupted.

Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus, who had tight political ties with fellow conservative nationalist Kaczynski, was planning to make the 525-kilometre trip by car and train, his spokesman said.

His Slovak counterpart Ivan Gasparovic was meanwhile preparing to drive the 300 kilometres from his capital Bratislava, while Hungarian President Lazslo Solyom would also go by car from Budapest along with Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai.

Former Ukrainian president Victor Yushchenko left Kiev with his wife at 7:00 am Saturday for the long road trip, the press service of his Our Ukraine party reported.

Krakow's airport had said Saturday it was ready to receive up to 40 foreign delegations for the funeral despite the closing of Poland's airspace to commercial flights.

Poland shut its airspace completely Friday to commercial traffic until further notice.

Polish authorities have said that up to 80 foreign delegations were expected to attend the funeral.

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