Posted on 02/01/2015 10:11:46 AM PST by elhombrelibre
The Republic found itself at the centre of the latest muscle-flexing exercise by Vladimir Putin after Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew past the west coast.
A diplomatic spat erupted as the Irish Government warned it was “absolutely unacceptable” that the two Tupolev 95s were in Irish-controlled airspace for five hours without notifying the authorities.
The planes were flying with their transponders switched off – meaning they could not be ‘seen’ by civilian aircraft as they passed through the busy airspace, where around 1,800 planes a day travel.
The aircraft were tracked by RAF Typhoon jets for more than 12 hours as they flew from the Norwegian Sea, along the west coast before banking east and travelling south of the UK.
(Excerpt) Read more at belfasttelegraph.co.uk ...
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/president-putin-is-a-dangerous-psychopath--reason-is-not-going-to-work-with-him-10015896.html
The evil empire is back, and this is how they make “friends”
All of Europe is now “near abroad” for the Putin terrorists state.
Maybe he is claiming all of Europe as part of Russia now, he has already said the former Soviet states are all really just a part of Russia.
The RAF tracked them.... does Ireland not have its own jets?
I don’t think Ireland has fighter jets. They’re not in NATO; they have land forces, but I doubt if they have fighter aircraft.
Ireland sat out WWII.
Yes, they did. They’re a neutral nation, too. But like Sweden, they may have to assess that in view of Putin’s bullying.
Wow. Putin’s going to have to explain to a lot of Russian mothers what happened to their sons in Ukraine. A lot of his fans here at FReeRepublic forget that is an undeclared war being waged against a peaceful neighbor whose only crime is that they people there want to run their own nation without Putin’s interference.
I’m sure plenty of Irish would have loved to have been on Hitler’s side to get back at the English.
Ireland also has no real military to speak of. Their navy is some OPV’s that function the same as US Coast Guard vessels, and their air force is non-existent, again functioning the same as a coast guard.
There were some Irish who volunteered for the Royal Army in World War 2. Many were arrested upon return to Ireland.
dear geron,
Ireland was a declared neutrality in WW2!!!
They have their own ‘air service’, with one Grumman G3 jet. Everything else they have, has rotating blades, either facing forward, or facing up.
Ireland needs to be Dublin` down.
That is actually kind of disconcerting.
dear geron,
What’s MORE disheartening, is that all those aircraft were purchased with the currently fashionable label:
‘previous owner’.
lol.
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