Posted on 05/18/2013 7:52:52 AM PDT by IbJensen
On May 6, Russia received its first shipment of Sukhoi Su-34 twin-seat fighter-bombers (known by NATO as "Fullback"). The Su-34 is the newest generation of fighter-bombers intended to replace the outdated Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-24s.
While the modernization of the Russian Air Force may — and rightfully so — raise a few eyebrows of concern, this alone is not sufficient cause for alarm. Russia’s recent air force maneuvers are, however.
On the night of March 29, 2013, two Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers (known by NATO as "Backfires"), escorted by four Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighters (known by NATO as "Flankers") passed extremely close to Swedish airspace and simulated an aerial "attack" on Stockholm and southern Sweden. The Tu-22M3 is a new supersonic long-range bomber capable of delivering nuclear weapons to overseas targets.
The six Russian aircraft flew dangerously close to Swedish airspace, roughly 20 miles from Sweden’s territorial borders, according to Business Insider.
While Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic has become routine since Russian President Vladimir Putin restored the old Soviet-era long-range strategic flights in 2011, what makes this particular flight so concerning was Sweden’s lack of readiness. The Swedish Air Force was caught off guard and failed to respond.
The flights occurred on Good Friday at around 2 a.m. local time. Business Insider reported that “at least two JAS-39 Gripen should always be in a QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) and ready for take off in case of alarm, but quite surprisingly there were no interceptors ready on Good Friday night.”
Instead of Swedish fighters, two Danish F-16 fighter jets under NATO command intercepted and escorted the Russian planes safely away from Sweden’s borders.
While Sweden may be grateful to Denmark’s Royal Danish Air Force, this raises serious concerns over Sweden's ability to repel and/or deter aggression against its national borders. This incident also raises concerns over the increased belligerence on the part of Russia.
Massive military reductions to the Swedish Armed Forces may account for the air force’s lack of readiness. During the 1980s, the Swedish Air Force was comprised of 20 squadrons and over 400 planes. Today, it posseses no more than four squadrons and less than 150 planes. Meanwhile Russia increased its military spending 16 percent in 2012, primarily on new weapons systems and the modernization of outdated military hardware.
A month later, on the night of April 28, two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 (known by NATO as "Bear-H"; shown, above) long-range heavy nuclear bombers “were detected flying into the military’s Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) near the Aleutians, where a strategic missile defense radar is located,” according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Again, the Russian bombers did not penetrate Alaskan or U.S. airspace, but they did fly dangerously close to it, prompting two U.S. F-22 fighter jets to scramble from Elmendorf Air Force Base. Bill Gertz of the Washington Free Beacon writes, “The dispatch of F-22s is an indication the bomber flights posed a potential threat to U.S. territory. It was the fifth incident of Russian strategic bombers flying against the United States since June, when Bear bombers were intercepted near Alaska during a large-scale Russian strategic nuclear exercise that Russian military officials said involved practice strikes against U.S. missile defense sites in Alaska.”
On February 12, two of the same class of Russian Tu-95 Bear-H strategic bombers flew over and encircled Guam. This also prompted a quick U.S. deployment of F-15s to intercept and escort the Russian bombers away from U.S. airspace.
Although Putin announced to the world that Russia would conduct such flights in 2011, two Russian Tu-95 bombers made a round-trip surprise “visit” to Guam in 2007 for the first time since the alleged end of the Cold War.
“Who told you that the Cold War was ever over? It transforms; it is like a virus,” said Russian KGB/FSB defector Sergei Tretyakov in an interview with FOX News in 2009.
In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated the continuation of the Cold War by threatening the West with a “new spiral in the arms race.” In Putin’s KGB eyes the Cold War never ended; it is ongoing. Meanwhile, the West applauds Putin as a close ally on the War on Terror. With allies like Putin are enemies really necessary?
Thank you for your reply. I fully agree with your comments. I can only smile when I look in the mirror and see my many wrinkles and less grey hair than I had last year.
With the level of intelligence dropping rapidly amongst general population I don’t see much hope for this nation. I seriously doubt if the Democrats recognize the seriousness of the IRS attempts to control the conservatives and what it means for America in general. The lack of integrity amid our government bureaucrats will be what lowers our national casket into the grave. I fear foreign historians will not shower us with good thoughts when they write our obituary.
See my reply #28... My first post wasn’t clear... I was bashing the IRS and Obama more than Putin - on a reread I can see that’s not how it came across.
Putin didn’t have a free country when he took over - and he didn’t have the means of production we have ... or the wealth. He’s struggled to make things better for Russia... unlike what our leaders - who seem to be going in the opposite direction. We are less free now - more likely to have the boot firmly in our faces... (thanks IRS and idiot dems)
Putin stole money meant for starving Russians in the early 90’s. He is a classic mafiosi who talks patriotism only when it serves him.
Thanks IbJensen.
We have an idiot, lop-eared, no accomplishment, phony anti-America president.
Putin is a hard-nose.
Somewhere, Peter the Great is smiling.
The Nazis, tried to employ General Vlasov, to fight on their side against Stalin.....and I think it would have succeeded, but Hitler opposed the idea, because he wanted the Russians wiped out, period.
Ya got me on that one!
And how Putin must despise this president. Look for him to twist the knife in the back of Obama’s administration. Lots more embarrassment to come.
I not really making light of what you're saying... But it seems that with the Russians system - that for years - was based on most "powerful thug wins" - you got a guy - Putin - who really seems to love his country. Not perfect - but look at recent Russian History... it's a horror. Stalin - starving millions - one thug after another ... and now we have Putin. Who's really giving it a try.
Then we have our system - built on noble ideals... by men who knew the boot of tyranny... people who believed in the dignity of all citizen. And what did we get? A thuggy IRS using the power of the State against private citizens.
The US should have done better. Russia could have done a lot worse....
Tons of illegal drugs come up through Mexico every year - seems logical to assume bringing weapons up the same way would be equally easy. That said, my question is, 'why hasn't there been a major attack'?
Radical Muslim groups do terror on the cheap - and our borders are almost nonexistent ... so, why haven't we been hit? You're smart - know what's going on - nice and analytical - what's your take? What are they waiting for?
Hindsight is 20/20. Again, the Red Army one of the worlds largest and certainly wouldn’t have rolled over. America by itself couldn’t have defeated the Russians and certainly the Brits and the Frenchies wouldn’t have had the stomach for it. And you underestimate the Russians themselves. They weren’t fighting for Stalin or the Party. They were fighting for ‘’Rodina’’,aka Holy Mother Russia’’. and the American Army would have suffered the fate of the Germans who suffered the fate of Napoleon’s Grand Army. That being the sheer size of Russia itself, it’s hot dry summers and brutal winters. The Russians relied on ‘’General Winter’’ to slow down or send packing invaders in the past. The Russians not only had a huge army but it’s people were soldiers’’ also, fighting as partisans who tormented Napoleons army at every step of their long retreat, and who made life miserable for the Germans. I remember reading a US Army intelligence debriefing of a German soldier who had fought on the Russian front . He said ‘’The Russian will never let you forget for a moment you are a hated enemy in his country. He will attack relentlessly and isn’t afraid to suffer mass casualties and is more than willing to die attempting to kill you. He isn’t afraid of cold, hunger or fire, He can go without sleep or sustenance. He attacks no matter what’’. And it wouldn’t only be a matter of attacking Russia itself. You would first have had to go through all the countries of Eastern Europe the Soviets were occupying . And there was the question of the proposed invasion of Japan, which by accounts argued at the time would have resulted in a million casualties. Americans wanted an end to the war, not prolongation of it.
>>>On May 6, Russia received its first shipment of Sukhoi Su-34 twin-seat fighter-bombers (known by NATO as “Fullback”). The Su-34 is the newest generation of fighter-bombers intended to replace the outdated Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-24s.<<<
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QKiIIH3ugPM
Nice bird BTW:-)
Nope. USSR kicked Guderians ass. Patton? With his Shermans against T-34s and IS-2 tanks?
Nope. Yeltsin did that.
You’re so right. The godless Soviet warriors were invincible. We could never have defeated them as they would be occupying Washington, DC today.
We didn’t have a chance of containing them. You’re so right. Our troops were completely demoralized.
Now throw a glass of cold water in your face and try to come out of your stupor.
Well what you stated is all well and good; however, kicking the Russkies out of Germany and Eastern Europe wouldn’t be the same as fighting them on their own soil. After all, they had no business hauling off everything that wasn’t nailed down in Germany.
People forget that Russians joined the invading Germans mistakenly thinking that they were going to save them from Stalin’s communism.
American lives would have been saved in the ensuing wars against communism had we faced up to the real enemy at the time.
Why should they stir up a potential hornet's nest when the enemy is busily destroying itself? Together with the fact that they are already influencing our government? Think of it; the POTUS is a muslim symp and a communist, and they are taking over the middle east with his help.
Additionally, the US (and allied) anti terrorism forces have a lot of victories. It is just that their victories are never released to the public, while their failures are always very public (kind of sucks right). They have stopped a number of attacks. For instance the Russians stopped a new years attack in Moscow two years back, where Chechens had planned to detonate bombs using cellphones, by basically saturating the general area with radiowaves and causing the bomb to detonate prematurely (killing the jihadi).
A real example is that it took ten years before the first WTC attack and 911. Same reasons I believe. Ensuring they can get maximum impact but with the most enhanced chance of success. Assymetric warfare dictates that, tobe susuccessful against a powerful adversary, patience is necessary.
You know what could easily happen? At low cost, low risk, and high impact? Chechen style attacks in the US. Imagine a Beslan attack. Ridiculously easy to pull off, high success rate, and tremendous impact. Imagine 3 teams of 3 people each pulling it off in 3 locations around the country? What about car bombs at traffic jams around the country? If the Beltway Sniper (that guy who was shooting people out of the trunk of his car) caused that much chaos, what about random car bombs in traffic in different cities? What about random hijacks of school buses by lone jihadis with kalashnikovs? Or grenade attacks on buses and subways? An explosive backpack at movie theaters? A jihadi team of 3 with kalashnikovswalking into a hospital? A hotel's convention center?
In essence, attacks on normal life.
Think about the Moscow theater. Many on FR stupidly said the Russians were silly pumping binary nerve gas, since it also killed some innocents. However American spec ops said that there was no better option, since the Jihadis had strapped explosives and the doors, and the only option was to put everyone to sleep as quickly as possible since the choice was 30% dying or 100% dying.
Anyways ....
I don’t think the Russians or the Chinese are on board with Rockefeller’s New World Order, or else they didn’t get the memo.
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