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.
You reallly don’t think they spend 700 dollars for a hammer and 6000 dollars for toilet seats do you ???
With this administration, nothing would surprise me.
2,000 feet above is ridiculous. Doing it twice is qaudruple ridiculous.
They should be shot down next time.
It would seem to me, flying right over a carrier at low atltitude would be completely beyond the pale. How could the defenders possibly know they weren’t planning on sinking it? If they were attempting to sink it, then we would have allowed the Russians to simply sink a carrier with no defense.
The U.S. has defended the plan as necessary to protect its European allies from possible attacks by Iran.
I do not buy this. If we are so scared of Iran then invite the Russians as well. Russians have been attacked by Iranians and fought wars with them a number of times ..the US never has except through Iran’s terrorist network.
I think I read somewhere that the Ruskies were overflying British waters. It might have been last Summer.
And frozen turkeys just happen to fall out of F/A-18s... ;-)
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
I think that the knee-jerkers here would get pretty upset if our planes were shot down as they do the same thing to others’ ships.
Hillary and obama would like to get together with the Russians and China and hold hands and sing Kumbi ya.
Nothing like a strong President and a strong defense policy!
Yeah right, and start World War 3? We don't even attack Iranian speedboats for cyring out loud.
Good day for a Bear hunt.
Well they lost the last race cuz they ran out of breath(money). Now they are rolling in it. Good thing we aren’t on track to waste lots of money on social programs.
Oh... wait
>This is sickening and disgusting.<
Yes, our President is sickening and disgusting. The next one will be more so.
Thanks for the run down of recent acknowledged flyovers.
Does it normally take 450 miles to intercept another aircraft? It sounds like aircraft were launched to intercept the bomber when it was 500 miles out, and did intercept it at 50 miles out. (Maybe it does, I really don’t know.)
ping
Read the article. The CAP was launced when the bombers were 500 mile out, they were intercepted more than 50 miles out, and had F-18s on their wing as they flew over the ship. SOP from the height of the Cold War.
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