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2 BW hosts delegates, fosters international partnership

  • Published
  • By Staff Reports
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  The 2nd Bomb Wing hosted a delegation of Russian Airmen July 11-12 during a site visit to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

The delegation visited the base as part of a bomber exchange program between the United States and Russia.

As part of the visit, the Russian Airmen received an up-close view of the B-52H Stratofortress bomber, a briefing about the mission and a visit with Air Force Global Strike Command leaders.

The team was escorted by Lt. Col. Michael Thompson, the 2 BW director of staff.

One advantage of sharing mission visits with partner nations is the opportunity to highlight similarities between the two countries, according to base officials.

Zhikharev graduated from the Tambov Higher Military Aviation School and has held all command positions from aide to an aircraft commander to chief of staff/first deputy commander of the 37th Air Army. He is also a graduate of the Yu.A. Gagarin Military Aviation Academy and of courses of the Military Academy of the Russian Federation Armed Forces' General Staff. In 2000 he was appointed commander of the Guards Donbass Red Banner Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, which a year later was named the best formation in the Air Force.

Zhikharev is qualified on eight types of airplanes, from the L-39 trainer to the Il-78 tanker, and has more than 3,000 flight hours.

In the near future, Thompson will be traveling to Russia as part of a U.S. Air Force delegation to conduct a similar site survey. Ultimately, as part of the program, the 2 BW will send a B-52 to Russia, and Russia will send a comparable bomber to Barksdale. This is part of ongoing efforts on the part of both countries to help each other understand its counterpart's operational capabilities.