"An air group consisting of two Tu-160 strategic bombers and Il-62 and An-124 military transport aircraft will visit the South African Republic. The purpose of the visit is to develop bilateral military cooperation and work out issues of interaction between the Russian Aerospace Forces and the South African Air Force," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, the visit aims "to help improve combat training of the flight personnel of the two countries."
The Tu-160 (NATO designation: Blackjack) is a supersonic missile carrier bomber, developed in the 1970s by aerospace and defence company Tupolev. It is considered the largest and heaviest supersonic aircraft ever built and is dubbed the “White Swan” for its vast wingspan, painted with anti-flash white.