ST. PETERSBURG, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The crew of a Tu-142MK aircraft from Russia's Northern Fleet completed the first-ever aerial refueling operation near the North Pole, the fleet's press service said Friday.
The long-range anti-submarine aviation crew of the Northern Fleet's mixed aviation corps executed this unprecedented mission as part of a naval exercise in the Arctic, it said.
During the exercise, the Tu-142MK crew completed a special long-distance flight to a remote area of the Arctic. The total flight duration reached approximately 30 hours.
The Tu-142MK is Russia's long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft developed from the Tu-95 strategic bomber platform. ■