I remember seeing photos from the early 1980s (82 or 83) of a Soviet
Backfire-C intercepted by Norwegian F-16s. The Backfire had two
roles--attacking US aircraft carriers and medium range strategic bombing.

This was the first public release of photos of the Backfire-C by the West
and it may have been the first time the Soviets sent one out over
international waters. Presumably this was the naval variant. I remember
that the plane had the very sleek gray and seagull white paint job, and the
sky was a gorgeous blue. It stuck in my mind as a really nice photo, and I
believe that the photo(s) was released through NATO.

Does anybody remember this? Does anybody know where I can look to find the
photos? I wrote an article about US military attempts to track the Backfire
and I'd love to get this photo(s).




D