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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.
Erm, it's from the Navy...
'One of the Tupolevs flew over the Nimitz at an altitude of about 600 metres, said Mark Matsunaga, a spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet in Honolulu.'
Planes fly over us all the time. Something about that whole "international airspace" thing that the US Navy respects.
Russia/Soviet/Coldwar2 PING!!!!
Oh no doubt. But they are big on pageantry and have a budget for that. I’ll be worried when they get all that armor fueled up on the line.
Riiiiiiiiiiggggggghhhhhhhhhttttttttt. It’s just fine and dandy for us to allow the planes of our (former?) arch-enemy to fly around in the airspace of our carrier groups because they’re in international waters. Can you possibly be serious?
MM (in TX)
A Russian plane flying over our carrier docked in San Diego may be an act of war but a Russian plane flying over one of our carriers in the middle of the Pacific is not.
Absolutely correct. Anyway I was a Forward Deployed to Japan for 14 years and we used to love it when those flyovers happened, it gave everyone a good adrenaline rush believe it or not.
Then when the Soviet Union fell it got awful boring being at sea not having the AGI's following us around, the Bears not doing recon against us anymore which made staying awake on the mid watch in Combat much more difficult for me.
Pretty much, yeah.
Ivan is playin’ Cold War...;0)
Huh? Did you miss all the replies and photos from servicemen and ex-servicemen who've been commenting on their own experiences of this. It might be scary but it happens, and it ain't new.
What
Would
Hillary
Do?
No, what you've got there is a Bear Foxtrot an Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft were the one in question was a Bear Delta.
Thanks for the ping STARWISE.
Because they were so close. Actually, it was too close to sink it.
Invite them to land and discuss the situation. Then she would apologize for our ships sailing into their flight plan.
You take?
At least JFK would be better than any of the Dems in national office today.
OK .. thanks .. ;)
Thanks for posting those pics. Ever read “Cold War at Sea”? Those “brushing” incidents were pretty hairy.
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