Tourists: Top Gun In Moscow

When a pair of the needle-nose supersonic bombers known as Blackjacks roared through patchy clouds above Kubinka Air Base near Moscow last week, a special ^ visitor was craning his neck to get a glimpse: Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci, the first American allowed to see the Soviets' top-secret plane.

Carlucci later eased into the cockpit for a closer look at the Soviets' most sophisticated jet, capable of speeds reaching Mach 2 with a range of 4,500 miles. During field exercises at nearby Taman Division army base, Carlucci watched as warplanes streaked overhead and the earth trembled from mock explosions. The spectacle...