Russia jets resume Cold War runs

BBC News ^ | 08/09/07 | BBC

[Sax]

Russian bombers have flown to the US island of Guam in the Pacific as part of an exercise this week reminiscent of the Cold War. Two Tu-95 jets flew to Guam, which is home to a big US military base, Maj Gen Pavel Androsov said.

They "exchanged smiles" with US pilots who scrambled to track them, he added.

The sorties, believed to be the first since the Cold War ended, come as Russia stresses a more assertive foreign policy, observers say.

[Sax]

Tu-95 Bears are turbo props, not jets. Basically, cruise missile launching platforms. The Brits just intercepted a few for the first time in many years about a week or two ago. Russia's looking to get a little of their Cold War swagger back.

[WBL 1952]

Russian military demanding that they be allowed to train for “whatever” or what is their purpose.

Means nothing.

[Sax]

Here’s the article of British fighters picking up a few wandering Bears:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/19/wrussia419.xml

[Little Ray]

They are not really used for launching cruise missiles - they are used as recon platforms to provide midcourse info to the cruise missiles.
They have a radar cross section like a skyscraper. There was some joke about this “We have sighted the enemy - dos vadanya, Motherland!”

[P-40]

Maybe now the U.S. will reopen its Alert Sites so for the next 9/11 we will have more fighter planes to put in the air, armed planes, and ones that are ready to go at a moment’s notice.

[Thrownatbirth]

I miss the Atlantic Morning Bear in the 70s and 80s that would fly down the east coast to Havanna every morning. You could set your watch by the sonic booms from US chase planes.

[jagusafr]

Means Putin is scared to death that what limited influence his thugs still have over the actions of sovereign nations is going away.

Colonel, USAFR

[dfwgator]

Time for some of our pilots to “communicate” with these Russkies, like they did in “Top Gun.”

[Sax]

I read about some of the guys on the DEW Line talking about that one.

[TChris]

[Oztrich Boy]

They are not really used for launching cruise missiles - they are used as recon platforms to provide midcourse info to the cruise missiles.

No offence, but I think I'll rely on Maj Gen Pavel Androsov, who identified these aircraft as Tu-95MS, which is a cruise missile carrier.

[FormerACLUmember]

Is has to be weird for the US crews.... They must feel like they are at a vintage aircraft show when they see these things coming. You'd expect to see some old dude, in an old leather bomber jacket sitting at the controls. :)

Crack Russian pilots in their scary Tupolev Bear.

[FormerACLUmember]

Obsolete bluster. The turboprop Tu-95MS bomber is so unbelievably noisy that the crews are all stone deaf in no time. It is so loud, that submerged submarines recognize its sound signature on sonar.

[Thrownatbirth]

That Bear was useful to the Sixth Fleet for years - all the EWs could align their shipboard DF antennas daily to that one big pulsing threat emitter.

[mkjessup]

Slow moving target practice for the F-22, nothing more nothing less.

[ArtyFO]

We should send up some old F4c’s up to meet them when they fly by.

[El Gato]

We should send up some old F4c’s up to meet them when they fly by.

There might be a few drone F-4s left, but they are starting to use early model F-16s for targets.

[El Gato]

The turboprop Tu-95MS bomber is so unbelievably noisy that the crews are all stone deaf in no time. It is so loud, that submerged submarines recognize its sound signature on sonar.

Sort of surprised they haven't re-engined them with high bypass turbofans. Looks like it would work structurally.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

It looks like a rip-off of the B-29.

[FormerACLUmember]

same mission, cheaper + more primitive plane.