Russians threaten US P-3 jet

Drudge ^

[Ted]

Russian warplanes threatened patrolling U.S. Navy P-3 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean last week as the American planes monitored a military exercise in the region, the WASHINGTON TIMES is planning to report on Tuesday... MORE.. At one point during the aerial harassment, a MiG-31 interceptor pilot flew his jet within 50 feet of a P-3 maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane. One alarming sign of the Russian intercept was a radio message sent by one MiG-31 pilot to his base stating his fire-control radar had 'locked on' to the U.S. surveillance plane, U.S. intelligence tell Gertz at the TIMES... A radar 'lock' is a pilot's final step before firing a guided missile... Developing... RUSSIAN WARPLANES HARASS U.S. CRAFT OVER PACIFIC

[troublesome creek]

we are in danger of becoming a rodney dangerfield nation...no respect, no respect at all. why? because we have given a clear signal that we are weak and do not have the resolve to defend ourselves. news flash...they ain't afraid of us anymore!

[troublesome creek]

we've turned into a chihuaha, all yipping, no bite.

[zog]

--been wondering this since the chinese incident. Is there really any practical reason why any US warbird DOESN'T have a few missiles hanging under the wings? really? Is it really that much of a weight loss compared to the added security? How would these foreign fighter pilots like it when they get "locked on to" themselves? might keep them a scoosh farther away you would think.

[ContentiousObjector]

Yeah,

and if some Russian IL-76's showed up snooping on some of our exercises I am sure we would send them a fruit basket.

[ContentiousObjector]

Beep-Beep-Beep, Paging Poohba: I think some armchair generals are going to need your attention over here

[ContentiousObjector]

Alright Mr.Aeronautical Engineer,

Please inform us as to how you would go about installing an AAM weapons system on a P-3

[Ted]

You're right, it is an inaccurate headline. Thx, and sorry.

[Bobby777]

not necessarily though ... SR-71 pilots reported that RC-135's could listen in on their cockpit conversations ... if it's electronic it's detectable ... obviously the Foxhound is a single-seater though ... but I doubt the Russian would say "fox" anyway ... "mink" maybe?

[ricer1]

I've only read about anti-sub ordnance on some P-3's... As to missle defense, nothing but maybe chaff dispensers to possibly ward off an incoming item.

[ContentiousObjector]

The Foxbat is single seat, The Foxhound is Two seat

[ContentiousObjector]

Obviously they carry countermeasures, I was replying to zog who was demanding that all airplanes be equiped with missiles.

[quietolong]

P-3's can only launch Torpedoes, and cruise missiles, they do not have the fire control suite to launch any type of air to air stuff.

Not 100 % true. The outer 4 wing pylons ( 2 each wing ) can fire 2.75 “ Mighty Mouse & 5 “ Zuni rockets. Not the best thing but it’s something.

But in the 10 years of working with P-3s as a AO ( Aviation Ordnanceman ) I never armed a plane that was going out on patrol. When your out there your all by yourself unarmed. The P-3 is a big lumbering target. At best wide open going downhill & clean you may get 500 Kt+ out of it. But its normal patrol is 200 Ft. 200 Kt.

Some FYI

The array of weapons it can carry are your Iron bombs Mk 81s-84s ( 250-2000 LB) , Mk 44,46,48 Torps, DST, B57 special weapon ( Big boom ), Mines, Depth bombs ( not used anymore), AGM-12 Bullpup Missile ( also not used anymore), Harpoon And a few others.

It can also carry Flare & Chaff pods.

There are 10 wing stations and up to 8 bomb bay stations for weapons.

When I was In. there was a ECM pod on it. But I have noted that it’s not on the ones I’ve seen recently. So can’t say if it’s been removed or replaced. But some of my friends that were SS3 operators would tell me after coming back from flying along the Russian coast about all the fire control radar locked on to them.

There are also on the C model 51 Sonobuoy tubes on the rear underside. they fire out at 200 Kt. So I guess if you had someone right under you I guess you could fire a Sonobuoy at them ;) But other that that if you don’t have some F-14s or 18s around. Your SOL.

[Ted]

No kidding...

[Don Myers]

We don't need guns to take out a Russian mig. Our men and women flyers are so good, they don't need rockets. Our top guns can just make those pilots dizzy by just flying rings around them and making them crash.

[dennisw]

What are they thinking?.........

Thinking that we are a pu**y nation. A bunch of comfort obsessed fools who take orders for the president of Mexico and tolerate being invaded by Mexico and other 3rd world pest nations. A bunch of fools that knuckled under when China took our recon plane.........knuckled under for the almighty buck.........for the lopsided China trade that allows China to pile up huge surpluses to better build their military machine

[zog]

--I'm not one of those people. Just looking at the size of one of those planes, seems like they can carry a lot of weight, and they got wings where perhaps they can be mounted. Just wondered why they couldn't add some missiles to the thing, that's all. Seen all kinza weird-o aircraft mods before, look at a 747 carrying a space shuttle on top. Is it really that strange of a question to ask? This is "impossible" to do? Some mastermind looked at a cargo plane once and realized they could mount a field artillery piece on it, or a gatling gun, then you had a spectre. Turned out to be one of the more successful modifications ever done to a plane originaly designed to "not fight". I imagine the original designers never even considered that. Same deal here in a way, that's all, doesn't seem all that strange to contemplate some sort of add-on air to air combat utility to one of those P-3 planes. Supposedly they can launch cruise missiles or torpedoes, what's the big difference to launch an air to air then that would make it "impossible"?

[higgmeister]

The Russians have been doing this to our P-3's for 30 years.
We've been shadowing their's too.
It's not part of the mad bombers.

[In veno, veritas]

"they ain't afraid of us anymore!"-TC