The Russians sent all three types of bombers on this exercise, totalling 70 aircraft. The Blackjacks were not found.
Posted on 09/30/2006 10:41:30 AM PDT by jdm
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – American and Canadian fighter planes were launched to intercept a pair of Russian bombers after the bombers came close to Alaska while conducting an exercise, military officials said Friday.
The Russian aircraft on Thursday penetrated a 12-mile buffer zone near American airspace, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.
The bombers never violated U.S. or Canadian airspace, said Maj. Gen. Brett Cairns, NORAD director of operations.
Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage sent four F-15s to meet the Russian aircraft, said Master Sgt. Tim Hoffman, a base information officer. Two F-15s intercepted the planes by making visual contact and verifying their identity.
The Russian planes then left the buffer zone, he said.
“We just carried out our typical mission,” Hoffman said. “They were in international airspace the whole time.”
CF-18 fighters also were launched from Canada, but did not intercept the Russian planes.
Lt. Gen. Igor Khvorov, commander of Russian long-range aviation, said the exercise involved 70 bombers, which test-fired 18 cruise missiles, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.
“All the aircraft involved flew over neutral waters, and none of them came closer than 12 nautical miles to the maritime borders of any country,” Khvorov said.
What made the event somewhat unusual was that the Russian military had told the United States about the maneuvers ahead of time, Hoffman said, a sharp contrast to Cold War practices.
“They have become more open with the exercises,” he said.
Hrm, I'm curious as to what bombers the Russians were flying. Backfires? Blackjacks?
Much ado about nothing.
I think so too. Just posted as an FYI.
'test-fired 18 cruise missiles'
At what? Some whales?
SAR has hopes of locating one or more of the CF-18's sometime in the next week.
I was stationed on the DEW Line in '69. I traveled the entire length from Pt Lay Alaska which is about 100 miles from Siberia, to Kulusuk Greenland. In a whole year I saw one instance when Russians Bears were testing the DEW Line system.
I was at Pt Barrow and 3 Bears were seen about 150 north of our location. No Big deal and no aircraft were launched to intercept. Two days later the Alaska Airlines commuter craft from Fairbanks arrived and everyone wanted to see the latest newspapers. Well the papers reported that the aircraft were seen, intercepted and shadowed. They were first contacted within 150 miles of Fairbanks!! This would have been 100 miles south of Barrow and over US territory. As usual the newspapers got it wrong but this was the height of the Cold War and well....
While in Barrow I also saw the results of the annual Eskimo whale hunt and two orphaned polar bears pups in the Naval Arctic Research Lab Zoo. This was much more interesting!
Hmmmmm. Alaska - ANWR - cruise missiles...
If Mr. Rove is planning a Jed Clampett oil discovery in Alaska "by mistake", this would be bigger news than the hurricane machine.
Even better if it was Russian missiles instead of ours. "How were we supposed to know there was oil down there?"
TU-95 "Bear" bombers.
ANd your point is?
I got one: we don't want to test the signs of the times, do we?
They wanted a sign and they got the bomb... badaboum, there. 911 maxux
Russian planes have landed at Firbanks International, FAI. The really mammoth big Russian military cargo jet included. No big deal, they need to call ahead because there is a lot of traffic.
The Russians sent all three types of bombers on this exercise, totalling 70 aircraft. The Blackjacks were not found.
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