Chargers’ Greg Roman looking to rekindle offensive success

• February 23, 2024

COSTA MESA — Greg Roman recalled one of his first meetings with Jim Harbaugh, one that left a lasting impression on one of them but apparently not both. Roman, as he retold the story Thursday, was an assistant with the Carolina Panthers at the time and Harbaugh was a veteran quarterback.

“True story,” Roman said. “He’s out warming up one day. It’s his last year as an NFL quarterback (in 2001). I’m out there on the field. He says, ‘You know, Greg, someday when I’m a head coach, I’m going to hire you.’ Here I was, going, ‘Who is this guy, telling me he’s going to hire me?’

“True story. He doesn’t remember it, of course.”

Harbaugh didn’t just hire Roman once he became a head coach.

He did it three times – first at Stanford University, then with the San Francisco 49ers and now with the Chargers. Roman was hired earlier this month to be the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator, replacing Kellen Moore, who took a similar job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“When I accepted that job at Stanford, I immediately got a job offer from a very good NFL team with a Hall of Fame coach at the time,” Roman continued. “I thought about it and I said, ‘I think I’m going to go work for Jim.’ That was a great decision. Very good coach. Very good person.”

Now Roman and Harbaugh are together again, tasked with transforming the Chargers’ offense into something more than a statistical marvel. Their challenge is to allow quarterback Justin Herbert to meet and, ideally, surpass his remarkable potential while at the same time creating an engine for victories.

Roman and Harbaugh would seem like a natural fit, having coached for six seasons together. Roman also served as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2019-22, working on the staff of head coach John Harbaugh, Jim’s older brother. Roman didn’t coach this past season.

Roman and Herbert would seem like a mismatched pair. Roman, 51, is short and stocky, built more like a wrestler and looking very much like the football lifer that he has become since his Carolina days. Herbert, 25, is tall and lean, listed at 6-foot-6 and easily mistaken for a basketball player.

The Chargers’ goal is to establish an offense that relies on the running game as much as the passing game. An effective ground game has been absent for many seasons for the Chargers, something that Roman has vowed to change in the years to come while still taking advantage of Herbert’s arm.

So, what is Roman’s vision for the Chargers’ offense?

“Oh man,” he said, “it’s a team that when other teams see us on the schedule, they go, ‘Oh, God, we’ve got to play these guys? I’m going to get blocked from every different direction. Herbert’s going to be back there firing dimes. This player is going to be making plays. Trying to stop the run, they’re just going to be gashing us.’

“We’re trying to create that conflict. That’s the vision.”

COACHING HIRES

Virginia Tech’s Jeff Carpenter joined the Chargers’ staff as an offensive quality control/wide receivers coach, one of four additions to Harbaugh’s staff that the team announced. A fifth, running backs coach Kiel McDonald, reportedly was set to join the Chargers from USC.

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Jonathan Goodwin, a former NFL offensive lineman, was hired as an offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach. Nick Hardwick, a former Chargers Pro Bowl offensive lineman, was hired as an offensive line assistant. Will Tukuafu was hired as an assistant defensive line coach after leaving the Seattle Seahawks.

In addition, defensive assistant Mike Hiestand and offensive assistant Phil Serchia were retained from Brandon Staley’s staff.

ADDITIONAL STAFF

The Chargers hired Ben Herbert as their executive director of player performance after he spent six seasons with Harbaugh at the University of Michigan. Devin Woodhouse, Ben Rabe and Lincoln DeWolf also joined the sports performance staff. In addition, Jonathan Brooks remained on staff.

​ Orange County Register 

Spectrum Sailing brings inclusivity to the Newport Harbor

• February 23, 2024

The camp is not just about learning where the hull is on the sailboat or how to steer the vessel as it glides on the water – it’s about gaining confidence to navigate life.

Twenty neuro-diverse children were treated to a three-day Spectrum Sailing camp in Newport Beach this week, an opportunity for the youngsters to try something new with others on the autism spectrum.

“We want to make sure everyone has a chance to get on the water. You live in a place like this, or we go to tons of cities that are on the water, and there’s hundreds of hundreds of kids that have never been on a boat, or have never been to the beach or gone surfing,” the nonprofit Spectrum Sailing’s founder Scott Herman said as three 20-foot boats got ready to set sail in the Newport Harbor on Thursday, Feb. 22.  “It’s great to give the kids a chance to do something like this.”

Spectrum Sailing is a national autism sailing program, with 10 camps held around the country throughout the year. The program’s partnership this week with the Orange Coast College School for Sailing and Seamanship marked its first stop of the year.

Herman first launched the program about eight years ago, wanting to share his love of sailing with his then 8-year-old son, Daniel. There was one problem – there were no programs available geared toward children on the autism spectrum.

“No one would let him go to camp,” Herman recalled. “So we decided to create our own.”

He took inspiration, he said, from the Orange County-based Surfers Healing, a nonprofit group created by Izzy and Danielle Paskowitz after they found salt water helped calm their autistic son Isaiah.

They, too, faced frustration finding a place for their son to enjoy the outdoors, so the San Juan Capistrano couple created the surfing experience nearly 25 years ago to help children learn to surf, all for free.

Now, they too hold events around the country – including at Folly Beach, in South Carolina, where Daniel took a surf lesson about the same time Herman was feeling frustrated he couldn’t get his son sailing lessons.

“I stood on the beach and watched these guys and girls take them surfing. I was fighting back tears,” Herman said. “It literally is one perfect day.”

He saw what the experience on the water did for his son, he said, the boost in confidence and a newfound love for the ocean.

“My son really thinks he’s a pro surfer,” he said. “That’s the perception they create for these kids.”

By the next fall, drawing from Surfers Healing as a model and inspiration, Herman had set up his own program, Spectrum Sailing, to teach kids with autism how to navigate the waters.

There’s one key element that’s the same: Both are free.

“We try to raise money in the community,” Herman said, noting that everyone from locals to car dealerships to corporate matching programs have helped through the years.

There’s so many moments that show the impact of the program, he said. Like a 15-year-old who couldn’t tie his shoe, but after learning to tie a knot on the boat, had no problem learning the skill. A teenage girl struggled with learning to ride a bike, but when she returned home from the camps she got her’s out of the garage and rode it down the street.

“They believe in themselves,” Herman said. “It’s not about sailing. We use it as a vehicle to build self esteem and so they know there’s a place where they are welcome.”

The kids this week started the day in the classroom, practicing their knot-tying skills, going over the day’s weather and what parts of the boat are called.

Sofia Sanchez, 15, came ready to learn with a huge smile splashed across her face as she got to the classroom.

“I’m excited to learn new techniques on the boat,” she said.

The best part? “Sailing on the boat and being with my friends,” she said.

Out on the water, she threw her hands out to the blue sky as the boat cruised along the sparkling waters.

“Ahoy, matey!” she belted.

Her dad, Juan Sanchez, watched from the parking lot as his daughter cruised by on the boat. The new friends she made was one of the big takeaways for him.

“She was very excited,” he said. “It’s the first time she woke up at 6 a.m., she was happy to come. She’s very social… I’m very proud. There’s so many things she’s achieving.”

Sanchez said as parents they have tried to find as many programs as they can to boost Sophia’s self esteem, like swim team and horse therapy.

“It’s like a dream come true, it’s getting independence,” he said. “We give her all the chances to grow and be a strong individual. If there’s no programs like this, we wouldn’t have many choices as parents of special needs kids. The people who make all of this happen, it’s amazing.”

Alicia Glass, of Laguna Beach, brought daughter, Tinsley, 14, for her second-day session, a chance to get her outdoors and away from online school.

“For children on the spectrum, especially when they are at home, they miss those social interactions that the other kids have,” Glass said.

Knowing Tinsley was with others on the spectrum gave her comfort, Glass said.

There are times being in public with a child who has special needs can be difficult, she said. “It might look like bad behavior to other children.”

But the crew at Spectrum Sailing know better, she said. “They know what’s going on, we don’t have to worry about whether she is going to offend someone, or is someone going to get upset that she did something wrong. It’s a nice relief for me, as a mom, I don’t often get.”

It’s also a nice break from life stress, allowing the single mom a few hours of quiet time to herself, with plans for the morning to simply take a walk.

“This is just a real blessing for us,” Glass said.

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Mette Segerblom, sailing program coordinator for OCC, said she hopes the sailing opportunity is something the college can offer on a more regular basis, and said she sees the class as just the start to what they can offer.

“We know that we have kids on the spectrum in all of our classes. We want to learn more about how we can better serve that. His program helps with that,” Segerblom said. “It allows us an opportunity to work with a group that does this all the time and hopefully we can take what we learn into our programs or create a program of our own.”

Having sailing programs build on what he teaches is Herman’s vision as well.

For just the Newport Beach camp, Spectrum Sailing received 139 applications for the 20 spots available, he said.

“It’s like a double-edged sword, we had to turn away 119 kids, but the positive is that programs know there’s a massive demand,” he said. “We can leave that list for them, if they want to use that opportunity for neuro-diverse youth, they can pick up where we left off.”

​ Orange County Register 

LAFC season preview: No holding back, with or without Carlos Vela

• February 23, 2024

The Los Angeles Football Club has won each of its six Major League Soccer season openers.

Making it seven in a row would not only break Dallas’ MLS record set from 2012-017, it would require something the club hasn’t dealt with before: not having Carlos Vela on the field.

Months after LAFC’s first face of the franchise walked off a soggy pitch in Columbus, Ohio, with his teammates having fallen short of repeating as MLS Cup champions, the soon-to-be 35-year-old forward’s presence remains prominent inside the locker room despite his absence through the preseason and, now, Match Day 1 at BMO Stadium against the Seattle Sounders.

As the organization and free-agent star continue to negotiate terms for what the silky left-footed Mexican declared would be his final season no matter where it takes place, LAFC’s longtime captain remains present one way or another.

“We’ve been in touch with him,” Spanish midfielder Ilie Sanchez said prior to his third season wearing black and gold. “He’s been asking about the dynamic of the preseason, so obviously it’s been different because you don’t have him on the field, but we still have his things in the locker room.”

If the parties don’t agree and Vela’s belongings are eventually removed from the LAFC practice facility on the campus of Cal State L.A., it will reverberate in several ways.

In 2023, Vela appeared in all 34 MLS regular-season games for the first time, tallying nine goals and 12 assists in league play while his attacking partner, Denis Bouanga, romped to claim the Golden Boot.

Minus Vela, who has contributed to more than a third of the goals scored by LAFC since 2018, opposing teams, starting with the Sounders, are likely to key in on stopping Bouanga.

“There is also other players who can make the difference,” the 29-year-old French attacker said. “But the foot of Carlos is going to be missed on the field, for sure.”

LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, who signed a multi-year extension in December, will have to compete with a roster that played half the MLS minutes from last year’s team that set a league record for total games played across a variety of competitions.

Even that deep squad had to alter its tactics to survive the 53-game marathon, at times moving away from the aggressive game model that has been basic to LAFC’s approach since 2018 to a more pragmatic style favoring a low block and counterattacks.

The 2024 group received an injection of youthful talent, including Mexican fullback Omar Campos, who is expected to play significant minutes while replacing Ecuador’s Diego Palacios, and coveted Venezuelan winger David Martinez, who was set to arrive Thursday in L.A.

For the newcomers who have not played with Vela, his impact should still be felt around the club whether he returns or not.

“Carlos was a big proponent of the winning culture,” fullback Ryan Hollingshead said. “The laughter. The camaraderie. The leadership. So much starts with Carlos.”

With Vela’s unknown status for 2024 hanging over the club, other players have stepped in to fill his leadership void. LAFC brought in World Cup-winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, whose résumé speaks for itself. Meanwhile, familiar faces like Hollingshead, Sanchez, Bouanga, Aaron Long and Jesus Murillo said they have accepted the responsibility to fill the void.

Beginning Jan. 21, when LAFC’s preseason got underway, the coaching staff focused on reviving the club’s heavy press, which caused massive disruptions for opponents when it was employed effectively and the players had the legs to execute.

Said Hollingshead: “This year will be a lot more getting back to LAFC style of football, playing the way we want to play, having plenty of recovery in between matches to make sure when we are in the pitch we are playing everything we want to do at 100%, no holding back, which was not what happened last year.”

The pared-down schedule – no CONCACAF Champions Cup, Campeones Cup and potentially no U.S. Open Cup – is favorable through mid-May, when games will come Saturday to Saturday.

First off: Seattle.

The last time they met, LAFC defeated the Sounders, 1-0, at Lumen Field on a Bouanga screamer to advance to the Western Conference final.

Seattle head coach Brian Schmetzer made sure to remind his players of the gut punch they took in November after they arrived for the first day of preseason camp.

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“That goal is still sticking with me and I’m reminding the guys of that opportunity that we lost,” Schmetzer said, “and yes it’s a rivalry.”

Cherundolo agreed, describing the LAFC-Seattle dynamic, which began on opening day in 2018 with a Black & Gold victory in the Pacific Northwest, as a “super healthy rivalry.”

“They want to beat the team that beat them at home in the playoffs last year,” Cherundolo added. “So I understand their motivation. My players will understand that as well and we will have answers.”

Without Vela, they won’t have a choice but to step up.

SEATTLE AT LAFC

When: Saturday, 1:45 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV/radio: Apple TV+ (MLS Season Pass), Fox (Ch. 11), 710 AM ESPN

​ Orange County Register 

Rams’ offensive line in flux as offseason kicks into gear

• February 23, 2024

The Rams made their first roster move of the offseason on Wednesday, releasing veteran center Brian Allen.

Allen, a member of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship team, will be designated as a post-June 1 cut in a move that allows him to get a head start on free agency and will save the Rams $4.8 million in salary cap space. And it’s the first of several moves along the offensive line that could come to define the Rams’ offseason.

The Rams will potentially have two starters hit free agency next month. Right guard Kevin Dotson will be an unrestricted free agent, and General Manager Les Snead expressed his desire in January to bring Dotson back if his contract number makes sense.

Center Coleman Shelton also has the ability to void the final year of his contract and enter free agency in March. The former undrafted free agency would earn a $2 million base salary along with an additional $1 million in bonuses if he opts into the last year of his deal.

But Shelton started all 18 games for the Rams this past season. He was among the better run blockers at his position in the league while allowing two sacks in 664 pass-blocking opportunities.

Speaking with reporters on a Zoom call on Thursday, Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Vice President of Football and Business Administration Tony Pastoors and Football Administration Manager Matthew Shearin are working with Shelton’s representation to work out a contract to keep him in Los Angeles, where Shelton went to school at Loyola High.

“We would really like to get him back. I would imagine that that’s the direction that they would potentially go. We’re proactively trying to get that taken care of,” McVay said. “He’s a guy we want to move forward with.”

The Rams will have to make another difficult decision with a reserve lineman.

Utility lineman Joe Noteboom is scheduled to count as a $20 million cap hit for the Rams in 2024. It would be the largest hit on the team behind quarterback Matthew Stafford, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and receiver Cooper Kupp.

The Rams could save $5 million against the cap by releasing Noteboom, who lost his starting job at right guard to Dotson in Week 5 but provided spot starts at both tackle slots down the stretch of the season.

“We’re working through all those things right now,” McVay said, praising Noteboom for his ability to move around the offensive line. “We’ll see what that looks like as it relates to his status moving forward but Joe’s been a big-time contributor and certainly we wouldn’t have done a lot of things without Joe.”

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NEW STAFF

Thursday represented the first opportunity for McVay to weigh in on the new look of his coaching staff heading into the 2024 season.

At the forefront was new defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who was promoted after working in several roles across the defense throughout McVay’s seven-year tenure with the Rams.

Shula and defensive backs coaching Aubrey Pleasant were both internal candidates for the coordinator job. McVay said he was impressed by the preparation and experiences of Shula, someone he’s known since they were college teammates at Miami (Ohio).

“I think it’s helpful that he’s coached on all three levels of the defense,” McVay said. “He’s got a great vision for what he wants to look like. He’s got great organizational skills, great ability to be able to collaborate. I mentioned Aubrey and Aubrey is one of the best leaders that we have, he’s got a great charisma and a presence. And I’m really looking forward to those guys leading us.”

Other additions to the coaching staff have connections to McVay, as well. He was recruited to Tulane by new defensive line coach Giff Smith, who also was the coach that recommended his predecessor, Eric Henderson, to McVay in 2019, something for which McVay says he owes Smith a steak dinner.

And new quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone was an offensive analyst under then-coordinator McVay for one season in Washington.

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“He’s got an incredible capacity for the game. Got a background as a player but an ability to communicate,” McVay said. “When you’re around him and you spend time with him, the investment that he makes in these players and the relationships that he’s able to develop that last long past when he’s worked with you says as much as you need to know about Dave.”

McVAY NAMED TO COMPETITION COMMITTEE

On Thursday, McVay was named to the NFL’s competition committee, which discusses and considers potential rule changes to present to team owners.

“Maybe I won’t burn my timeouts in the second half so early, I’ll learn about that,” McVay joked. “I’ve always been interested and intrigued about, okay, how can you affect positive change? How can you have an understanding of moving the game in the right direction? … Certainly looking forward to being able to learn and grow and see if we can help do some good things, but I was certainly flattered to be a part of that.”

​ Orange County Register 

Private lander touches down on the moon but sending weak signal

• February 23, 2024

By MARCIA DUNN | AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private lander touched down on the moon Thursday but managed just a weak signal back, as flight controllers scrambled to gain better contact with the first U.S. spacecraft to reach the lunar surface in more than 50 years.

Despite the spotty communication, Intuitive Machines, the company that built and managed the craft, confirmed that it had landed. There was no immediate word from the company on the condition — or even the exact location — of the lander. The company ended its live webcast soon after confirming a touchdown.

Mission director Tim Crain said the team was evaluating how to refine the lone signal from the lander, named Odysseus.

“But we can confirm, without a doubt, that our equipment is on the surface of the moon,” he said.

Added Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus: “I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface and we are transmitting. Welcome to the moon.”

This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows its Odysseus lunar lander over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

The landing put the U.S. back on the surface for the first time since NASA’s famed Apollo moonwalkers.

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Intuitive Machines also became the first private business to pull off a lunar landing, a feat achieved by only five countries. Another company gave it a shot last month, but never made it to the moon, and the lander crashed back to Earth.

Odysseus descended from a moon-skimming orbit and guided itself toward the surface, searching for a relatively flat spot among all the cliffs and craters near the south pole.

Tension mounted in the company’s Houston command center following the designated touchdown time, as controllers awaited a signal from the spacecraft some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away. After close to 15 minutes, the company announced it had received a weak signal from the lander.

Launched last week, the six-footed carbon fiber and titanium lander — towering 14 feet (4.3 meters) — carried six experiments for NASA. The space agency gave the company $118 million to build and fly the lander, part of its effort to commercialize lunar deliveries ahead of the planned return of astronauts in a few years.

FILE – This photo provided by Intuitive Machines shows the company’s IM-1 Nova-C lunar lander in Houston in October 2023. The private U.S. lunar lander reached the moon and eased into a low orbit Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, a day before it will attempt an even greater feat _ landing on the gray, dusty surface. (Intuitive Machines via AP, File)

Intuitive Machines’ entry is the latest in a series of landing attempts by countries and private outfits looking to explore the moon and, if possible, capitalize on it. Japan scored a lunar landing last month, joining earlier triumphs by Russia, U.S., China and India.

The U.S. bowed out of the lunar landscape in 1972 after NASA’s Apollo program put 12 astronauts on the surface. A Pittsburgh company, Astrobotic Technology, gave it a shot last month, but was derailed by a fuel leak that resulted in the lander plunging back through Earth’s atmosphere and burning up.

Intuitive Machines’ target was 186 miles (300 kilometers) shy of the south pole, around 80 degrees latitude and closer to the pole than any other spacecraft has come. The site is relatively flat, but surrounded by boulders, hills, cliffs and craters that could hold frozen water, a big part of the allure. The lander was programmed to pick, in real time, the safest spot near the so-called Malapert A crater.

The solar-powered lander was intended to operate for a week, until the long lunar night.

Besides NASA’s tech and navigation experiments, Intuitive Machines sold space on the lander to Columbia Sportswear to fly its newest insulating jacket fabric; sculptor Jeff Koons for 125 mini moon figurines; and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for a set of cameras to capture pictures of the descending lander.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

​ Orange County Register 

Long Beach State’s LaTanya Sheffield named head coach for Team USA women for Paris Olympics

• February 23, 2024

LONG BEACH — Long Beach State track and field coach LaTanya Sheffield was named head women’s coach for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She will also work with Team USA’s sprinters and hurdlers.

Sheffield previously served as the USA National Team women’s head coach for the 2022 World Championships. She has been selected for two previous Olympics coaching positions, leading the U.S. women’s national team’s sprints, hurdles, and relays at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was also head coach for the women’s track and field program as Team USA won 18 combined medals at the 2019 Pan American Games.

At Long Beach State, her teams have won seven Big West championships in 10 years, with the men claiming five titles and the women claiming two over the last three years.

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​ Orange County Register 

White House plans to sanction 500+ targets over Navalny death

• February 23, 2024

By Sam Fossum, Priscilla Alvarez and Kevin Liptak | CNN

The Biden administration will impose a fresh slate of sanctions on more than 500 targets on Friday in response to the death of opposition figure Alexey Navalny and on the eve of Russia’s two-year war in Ukraine, according to a Treasury official.

The sanctions mark the latest move by the administration to levy consequences against Russia amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

Speaking Tuesday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the new measures would be a “substantial package” that covers a wide range of elements linked to the Russian defense industrial base and sources of revenue for the Russian economy that power the country’s “war machine.”

President Joe Biden teased the sanctions earlier Thursday, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “responsible” for Navalny’s death. The comments came shortly after he met in San Francisco with Navalny’s widow and daughter.

Biden has repeatedly condemned Putin and called him “a crazy SOB” during a fundraiser in San Francisco on Wednesday, according to the pool reporters traveling with the US president.

“We have a crazy SOB that guy, Putin, others. And we always have to be worried about a nuclear conflict. But the existential threat to humanity is climate,” Biden told those gathered at the fundraiser. The Kremlin, in response, said Biden’s comments were a “huge disgrace” for the United States.

Sullivan described the package as “another turn of the crank” after withering Western sanctions on Moscow since the start of the Ukraine war. While those sanctions have hampered Russia’s economy, they haven’t deterred Putin from proceeding with the invasion.

The US, along with other Western governments, has levied a series of sanctions against Russia in recent years, but Russia has adapted to them. Putin has taken to gloating about Russia’s resistance to international sanctions, which take time to have an effect.

US officials had been working on a new sanctions package on Russia ahead of Navalny’s death and supplemented them in the wake of the opposition leader’s death, according to a senior US official, adding that US officials coordinated with European partners on the new package.

Reuters first reported the number of targets sanctioned.

This story has been updated with additional details.

​ Orange County Register 

Putin flies on nuclear-capable bomber in message to West

• February 23, 2024

Associated Press

MOSCOW — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday took a co-pilot’s seat in a nuclear-capable strategic bomber on a flight that appeared aimed at bolstering his image ahead of next month’s election he’s all but certain to win.

Putin’s 30-minute flight in a Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber also seemed intended to send a reminder of Russia’s nuclear might amid soaring tensions with the West over the fighting in Ukraine.

Putin, 71, who is running as an independent candidate, relies on a tight control over Russia’s political system that he has established during 24 years in power. Friday’s death of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny sent a chilling reminder of the Kremlin’s ruthless crackdown on dissent and dealt a heavy blow to the beleaguered Russian opposition.

On Thursday, Putin, clad in a flight suit, boarded the warplane at a snow-covered airfield of an aircraft-making plant in the Volga River city of Kazan that has built the heavy bombers since the Soviet times.

The plant has received state orders to produce a modernized version of the Tu-160 bomber that first flew in the 1980s and was code-named Blackjack by NATO.

The aircraft Putin flew was one of the first such revamped bombers built, equipped with new engines and avionics and designated Tu-160M.

Speaking to reporters after the flight, Putin praised the new aircraft as “excellent,” noting that it has big improvements compared to the initial version.

Thursday’s flight marked at least the third time he got in a cockpit of a warplane. In 2000, he took a co-pilot’s seat in a Su-27 fighter to fly to Chechnya during separatist fighting there and in 2005 he co-piloted a Tu-160 during military drills.

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As part of the Kremlin efforts to project an image of an action-loving and physically strong leader, Putin also took a co-pilot’s seat in an amphibious plane, flew a paraglider and drove a racing car and heavy trucks.

He also drove a heavy truck to a meeting in Kazan on Thursday, one of a series of campaign trips ahead of the March 15-17 presidential election.

With prominent critics who could challenge him either jailed or living abroad and most independent media banned, Putin’s reelection is all but assured. He faces a token opposition from three other candidates nominated by Kremlin-friendly parties represented in parliament.

​ Orange County Register