Russia 'renewing bomber patrols'

Russia is resuming its Soviet-era practice of sending its bomber aircraft on long-range flights, President Vladimir Putin has said.

Mr Putin said the halting of such flights 15 years ago had affected Russia's security because "not everyone followed our example".

Source BBC

Another move towards a new cold war anyone? what with the recent assasinations that seem linked to the Russian goverment along with the political postureing it seems that Putin is slowly trying to take Russia's relation's with the western world back several decades to the way they were during the last cold war.

What possible strategic advantage does this have? Sure, you can get your airborne bombers on-target more quickly than an enemy who is not fielding an airborne bomber fleet but in this day-and-age of highly sophisticated ballistic and SLBM's that is a meaningless advantage. It would be another matter if another country was behaving belligerantly or provocatively. But it seems to me that this is just a very, very expensive exercise in grandstanding.

Originally posted by jtma508
What possible strategic advantage does this have?

Launching supersonic cruise missiles at carrier groups?

And that can't be done using SLBM's? The point is, bomber flights, like the ones we used to have during the cold war, might have made sense with the missile and submarine techology 30yrs ago when we were doing that but makes no sense now.