Posted on 02/11/2008 3:45:40 PM PST by Flavius
Edited on 02/11/2008 4:36:47 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Russian bomber aircraft approached a US Aircraft carrier in the Pacific on Saturday and were intercepted by American fighter jets, a US Defense official said on Monday...
Excerpt. Story continues: YNetNews
Update:
Google AP
Navy Intercepts Russian Bombers
By LOLITA C. BALDOR – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. fighter planes intercepted two Russian bombers, including one that buzzed an American aircraft carrier in the western Pacific during the weekend, The Associated Press has learned.
A U.S. military official says that one Russian Tupolev 95 flew directly over the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz twice, at a low altitude of about 2,000 feet, while another bomber circled about 58 miles out. The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because the reports on the flights were classified as secret.
The Saturday incident, which never escalated beyond the flyover, comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Russia over U.S. plans for a missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Such Russian bomber flights were common during the Cold War, but have been rare since.
The bombers were among four Russian Tupolev 95s launched from Ukrainka in the middle of the night, including one that Japanese officials say violated their country's airspace over an uninhabited island south of Tokyo.
U.S. officials tracked and monitored the bombers as two flew south along the Japanese coast, and two others flew farther east, coming closer to the Nimitz and the guided missile cruiser USS Princeton.
As the bombers got about 500 miles out from the U.S. ships, four F/A-18 fighters were launched from the Nimitz, the official said. The fighters intercepted the Russian bombers about 50 miles south of the Nimitz.
At least two U.S. F/A-18 Hornets trailed the bomber as it came in low over the Nimitz twice, while one or two of the other U.S. fighters followed the second bomber as it circled.
The official said there were no verbal communications between the U.S. and the Russians, and the Pentagon has not heard of any protests being filed by the United States. Historically, diplomatic protests were not filed in such incidents because they were so common during the Cold War era.
This is the first time Russian Tupolevs have flown over or interacted with a U.S. carrier since 2004.
In that incident, a Russian Tupolev flew over the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the Sea of Japan on Jan. 29, 2004. Since then, however, relations between the U.S. and Russia have deteriorated to their worst point since the Cold War, largely due to the United States' plans to put a radar system in the Czech Republic and 10 missile defense interceptors in Poland.
The U.S. has defended the plan as necessary to protect its European allies from possible attacks by Iran. But the Kremlin has condemned the proposal, saying it would threaten Russia's security.
"We are being forced to take retaliatory steps," said Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also warned that a new arms race is under way.
Japan, meanwhile, filed a formal protest with the Russian Embassy in Tokyo after Saturday's incident, saying that one of the Russian bombers crossed into Japanese airspace for three minutes. Russia has denied there was an intrusion.
Reagan served in the Army Air Corps during WW-II. Neither saw any combat. Reagan made training films...somebody had to do it, and he was after all an actor.
Well....that’s to be expected.
Why put up defenses if they don’t defend from potential 360-degree inbounds?
The Russians started squeeelin’ as soon as they found out
how close to their border the system will be built...
Well, it’s not exactly like the ruskies have been friends, nor even trusted friends.
While Bush said he “looked the man in the eye. I was able to get a sense of his soul,” I could see the soul without looking in his eyes. They are evil.
I was in escorts - destroyers and frigates - and we operated with carriers and amphibs. And sometimes they did fly right over it. When we were with the carrier they did intercept them. The time we were with the LPH there obviously wasn't anything to intercept them with. We did go to GQ though.
BTW, I never said it should have been shot down, I said it was performing an unfriendly act or a hostile act.
So what should they have done that they did not do, if not shoot it down?
While Bush said he “looked the man in the eye. I was able to get a sense of his soul,”
~~~
Needs his eyes checked...;0)
lol
I think he needs more help than just that. : )
Russian overflight of US warship ‘benign’: US Navy chief
16 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The chief of the US Navy said Tuesday an overflight of a US aircraft carrier by a Russian bomber off Japan was “benign” and unprovocative, adding that US crew were not called to combat stations.
Admiral Gary Roughead said he had not asked Moscow for an explanation, but offered one of his own: the Russian military is trying to re-emerge as a global force.
“But I did not consider it to be provocative,” he said of Saturday’s overflight of the USS Nimitz in the western Pacific.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQwYooD1CiqCqcmYUG1lZgfXMARA
From the same article:
the State Department did not “at this point intend to do anything on behalf of the Department of Defense,” McCormack said.
The Russians have decided to resume “some of their long-range aviation flights” using material left over from the Cold War and were keeping “them in good, working order,” he said
“But beyond that, I don’t think we view it as a particular threat. It is something that we watch, it is something that we watch closely,” he said.
Some members of Congress raised concerns about the incident, however, at a hearing with senior Pentagon officials.
"Now what we're concerned about is, what are the indications of this return to a Cold War mindset -- what are the implications of that activity and how do we best address that?"We're just trying to now go back and look what message was intended by this overflight," he said.
Truly worthy of du, wny don’t you post over there? Over here even if we disagree with Bush, (as I do on Mexico),we still refer to the Republican President of the United States with respect.
The Russian tyrant is continuing to probe and test the West, while preparing for total war against the West.
LOL. These planes, as useful as they may be as standoff AS and cruise missile carriers, are relics more than likely flown by old, deaf, ex-Soviet pilots.
The only training these senior citizens need is new flag recognition and to learn the new (or old) Russki National Anthem. They and these planes were bought and paid for 40 years ago!
I don't mean to knock their equipment ... a turboprop that can do better than 500mph ... with Moscow to Havana range ... they are a positive danger to the fleet because they can stand off many hundreds of miles and let fly ... with something! Unfortunately for the Russkis they have a huge radar profile and are so damned noisy they can be heard before they are seen.
Thank you for the ping.
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