[tcrlaf]

How usual/unusual is this nowadays?

[VanDeKoik]

They may just have to leave that job up to the Scottish Air Farce next year. Unless they blow their entire budget on free stuff.

[wbill]

The aircraft, believed to be Tupolev 95s

Bears? Geez, that was an old design in the 80s.

Unlike our B-52s, that are "venerable". Not old. :-)

[Tallguy]

If they were Tu-95 Bears, then they heard them coming a long way off. There’s no mistaking a Bear for anything else.

[Berlin_Freeper]

The aircraft, believed to be Tupolev 95s, were spotted off the coast of northeast Scotland.

The Tu-95 carried and dropped the AN602 Tsar Bomba, the largest and most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated.

[Robe]

I did these intercepts a quite a few times in the late 60’s & 70’s.
We'd launch 2 F-4’s off the ready cats, we have one on his 6 and the other would come up on his port side.
We'd nod at each other, he'd open his bomb-bay doors and the guy at the 6 would fly up underneath and have a look to see if he was carrying weapons.
Then we would take up positions at his 9 o'clock and his 4 o'clock and make obscene gestures ant each other..
It's amazing to see how creative bored airmen can be...

[Robe]

I did these intercepts a quite a few times in the late 60’s & 70’s.
We’d launch 2 F-4’s off the ready cats, we have one on his 6 and the other would come up on his port side.
We’d nod at each other, he’d open his bombbay doors and the guy at the 6 would fly up underneath and have a look to see if he was carrying weapons.
Then we would take up positions at his 9 oclock and his 4 oclock and make obsene jestures ant each other..
It’s amazing to see how creative bored airmen can come up with

[McGruff]

Welcome to the Cold War II.

[Irenic]

Old stories but bothered me me at the time...

Silent Running
Russian attack submarine sailed in Gulf of Mexico undetected for weeks, U.S. officials say
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/silent-running/

REPORT: Russian Nuclear Submarine Within 200 Miles Of The East Coast When Sandy Hit
http://www.businessinsider.com/report-russian-nuclear-submarine-within-200-miles-of-the-east-coast-when-sandy-hit-2012-11

Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast of U.S.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/world/05patrol.html?_r=0

[SevenofNine]

Vlady getting frisky

[PLMerite]

Here's a couple of Bears next to things of known size for comparison:

[Terry L Smith]

Here we go, again.

Running frequency scans, and response measurements.

“The Bears are in the air, again.”

Now, if we see anything in print about naval incidents coming out of Scapa Flow ...

[Tommyjo]

The UK Ministry of Defense has released images of the intercept of the two Russian Tu-95MS Bear H on the 23rd April.

Link