Russian Bombers Penetrate N. American Buffer Zone, Interceptors scrambled

[Phrogman]

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/09/30/rusbombers.shtml


A new U.S. push for greater Russian military openness collided with Cold War habits last week as Russian long-range bombers flew within 15 miles of U.S. airspace off Alaska, Denver Post website reported.

Fully-armed U.S. fighter jets responded, intercepting the two bombers.

The Russian Tu-95 bombers on a training exercise Thursday penetrated a North American buffer zone, said a statement Friday from Maj. Gen. Brett Cairns, operations chief for Colorado Springs-based North American Aerospace Defense Command.

>>>

Russian commanders had announced an exercise in Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic regions Sept. 26-30 involving 70 bombers and the test-firing of 18 cruise missiles.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Interceptors?

We have those?

:sarcasm:

[TomInTib]

2. OK, now, cough....

Probing exercise.

They just want to see what we have available.

[MADem]

3. FUCK. Why are they probing our defenses? Wassup with that?

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=196982472&p=y96983y78
American and Canadian fighter planes were launched to intercept a pair of Russian bombers after the bombers came close to Alaska while conducting an exercise, military officials said yesterday.

The Russian aircraft on Thursday penetrated a 19-kilometre buffer zone near American airspace, according to the North American Aerospace Defence Command, or NORAD.

The bombers never violated U.S. or Canadian airspace, said Maj. Gen. Brett Cairns, NORAD director of operations.

Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage sent four F-15s to meet the Russian aircraft, said Master Sgt. Tim Hoffman, a base information officer.

[TomInTib]

6. Wow! We both posted a 'probing' reply at exactl the same time!

See #2.

Sometimes, we just blow me away.

[Poll_Blind]

11. This is, without a doubt, the first DP I've seen on DU. IBTL, just to...

...be safe. ;-)

PB

[TomInTib]

16. Is this a sex thread?

Maybe you need to go to the site of Rep (R-CrazyState) Foley.

The dude who doesn't need a bookmark - he just bends the pages over.

[Poll_Blind]

18. Stop it! (That's a request to you and me, both!) 8^) n/t

PB

[MADem]

15. Gee, time to turn in those stupid COLD WAR CERTIFICATES that

most of us never bothered to get in the first place, I guess....

I don't like this bit of news, to be honest. And I doubt the Monkey asked Pootie Poot to sneak up on our boyz to see how well they are doing.

Likely Pootie-Poot thinks, like the rest of the world, that we have a NUT at the helm, and they're making plans to do what they might have to do if he goes any further off the page. I mean, that RADIO ADDRESS was hardly reassuring:

Stung by criticism, Bush calls for offensive 'across the world'

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060930/pl_afp/usiraqbushpolitics_060930142116&printer=1;_ylt=ArnlFYEdJQ1CrGGlWnjpvMatOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE

"The only way to protect our citizens at home is to go on the offense against the enemy across the world," the president said Saturday. "So we will remain on the offense until the terrorists are defeated and this fight is won."

The asshole doesn't get that he IS OFFENSIVE, across the world....

[Tellurian]

25. I suppose if * continues to insult enough countries

someone will take him up on it...of course, it will be at our expense.

[Donnachaidh]

13. Putin *helping* the War on TerraH along?

[TheWraith]

14. Perhaps they wanted to see just how badly our millitary is doing. NT

[Poiuyt]

4. Remember, Bush looked longingly into Putin's eyes and thought they

were just dreamy

[okoboji]

5. I see ....

the do know how to scramble jets. too bad that didn't happen on 09-11-01

[gumby]

7. Goodness? We have interceptors?

Where were they on 9/11?

[Poll_Blind]

8. This doesn't particularly alarm me. This sort of ear-flicking...

...goes on all the time. Occasionally someone screws up, goes a little too far, and spinchters clench or worse, there's an accident or misunderstanding and people are hurt. A few years back we had a surveillance airplane off the coast of China and a Chinese jet clipped it. The Chinese jet ate it and the U.S. spy plane was forced to land on some little Chinese Island. The Chinese Jet pilot had a history of gettig really, really really close and the U.S. had filmed his antics before (I even watched the tape at the time)- he should not have been flying for anyone's military.

  If the Russians really wanted to attack us, they certainly wouldn't use bombers, anyway. Just stick some nukes in cargo containers and send 'em on the slow boat. As an aside, also a few years ago, the CIA did a really interesting workup on what their analysts saw as methods of fighting wars and what wars would be fought over in 2020. I think one of the possibilities mentioned was someone sending a nuke via FedEx. Do you use overnight or two-day for that?

PB

[MADem]

17. That wasn't a minor incident. That was HUGE.

It was a P-3 and the Chinese took it apart down to the airframe. We weren't clear if we were gonna get the crew back without them being shot full of drugs and data dumped. And it was a huge crew with a USAF rider as well.

As they were going down they were hacking and burning and tossing all the classified material and equipment, but that was an intelligence loss on our part that was enormous.

The joke at the time to lighten the mood was that they stopped to pick up Rick Shinseki's black berets for the Army (big brouhaha that they had been made in China, and no one wanted to make the headgear change, anyway).

But that was NOT a small incident. And Bush "apologized" which the military didn't want him to do, because that Chinese plane was bumping the P3 in international airspace.

[Poll_Blind]

19. Sorry, I think you misunderstood my gist. I was using it as an...

...example of when the sparring gets out of control.

PB

[MADem]

20. I remember that incident well. There was a bit of angst over it

at the national command center.

[symbolman]

31. Remember

Bush sent them all BIBLES :)

NUTSO!!

Yeah, I was in the air force and to hear that they got a hold of one of our newer planes and weren't giving it back?

A real president would have sent some bombers over there and said, "Better step back, because there's going to be a nasty ass hole where our Plane landed there.."

Unbelievable, TOP SECRET handed over just like that, and the Chinese even told Bush to go fuck himself, while he's sending Bibles.. might as well been comic books, or LOONEY TUNES :)

Protecting us my ass, goddam turkey needs to be jailed.

[0007]

34. .....we mustn't forget that other powerful weapon



[MADem]

40. Actually, the plane itself was old, but the EQUIPMENT on it was SOTA

It was stripped down to the frame and rebuilt with the latest bells and whistles. They had that thing configured beautifully.

I've no idea if Chinese toilet paper is still of the consistency of tracing paper, so those Bibles might have come in handy. But really, he could have sent them each a 12 pack of Charmin....

[krispos42]

26. But the Tu-95s are prop bombers

They're not as fast as jet bombers, so the fact that they came this close kinda points to a slow NORAD response. I guess the Canadians launched F-18s as well, but the bombers turned back before the Canadians could intercept.

Musta been the trial run for the October Surprise. The Bererring Straits War, anyone? Battle of the Aleutians?

[Kablooie]

9. October Surprise! War with Russia!! Yippee!

[redphish]

10. Talk about your time warp!

I fell asleep watching TV and came in to shut off my computer. I saw this post while still half asleep and it took me a couple of moments to get oriented. Thought I was back in my twenties till my aching knee reminded me it was just us continuing a game that should have been over along time ago. Don't know if I'm coming or going sometimes. Oh well, sweet dreams I guess.

:hide:

[Octafish]

12. NORAD still works?

What happened 9-11?

[MADem]

21. Actually, they got a "horse is out of the barn" upgrade after that NT

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

22. There was no "Russians Probe Airspace" exercise going on.

:eyes:

[MADem]

41. What's your take on the matter? NT

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

49. Nothing.

Both sides playing with their toys.

[Phrogman]

23. and the Chinese are busy lasering US satellites...link:

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2121111&C=america

It remains unclear how many times the ground-based laser was tested against U.S. spacecraft or whether it was successful.
But the combination of China’s efforts and advances in Russian satellite jamming capabilities illustrate vulnerabilities to the U.S. space network are at the core of U.S. Air Force plans to develop new space architectures and highly classified systems, according to sources.
According to experts, lasers — depending on their power level — could blind electro-optical satellites like the giant Keyhole spacecraft or even interfere with radar satellites like the Lacrosse. Blinding, one source said, is different than disabling given the enormous power required to shoot a laser through the dense lower atmosphere and reach a fast-moving satellite in space. The hardware on the spacecraft can’t be changed given they’re in orbit, but software changes can help them weather disruptive attacks.

[Phrogman]

27. Heres a DU link on the lasers

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2270287


And a kick

[formercia]

30. and another link that I had posted earlier

but had fallen off the edge of the known DU universe.

[Roland99]

24. Intercepted Payne Stewart's plane and Russian jets but not hijacked planes

:banghead:

[RC]

28. Well, yah.

Who'da thunk anybody would run passenger planes into tall buildings? It was only a 4 plane hijacking after all.
Remind me to check on this after my coffee break...

[Massachusetts]

29. Whopeeeee

[htuttle]

32. But dangit, I sold off all my Nena albums years ago...

99 Luftballons
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Hielt man fuer UFOs aus dem All
Darum schickte ein General
'ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher
Alarm zu geben, wenn's so waer
Dabei war'n da am Horizont
Nur 99 Luftballons

[POAS]

33. I suppose that there may

have been a political message to this "accidental" incursion into US airspace. A little message from Putin reminding Bush that they are still around and have interests in the middle east so watch your step.

[Canuckistanian]

35. I thought this was a regular occurence

When was the last time this happened? Is the first occurence since Putin got in?

[Posteritatis]

44. It happens a couple of times a year, I think

Moreso in Europe, if just because there's many more borders around there. On top of that people deliberately prod each others' airspace all the time; it's relatively low-cost training (it costs you the other guy's jet fuel too, but hey! You don't have to pay for that!), you get some intel out of it, and most of the people with stars on their shoulders tend to take the mundane stuff for granted.

[Doctor_J]

36. It's Clinton's fault!

[bagrman]

37. Didn't we help the Afganies bankrupt the Russian, maybe

they are returning the favor.

Latr
bagrman

[MADem]

42. Those Russian aircraft were attracted to his penis, eh?

:evilgrin: :rofl:

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

38. Doctor Strangelove... Calling Doctor Strangelove...

[nealmhughes]

39. Kinda hard not to get close when Russia is so close to Alaska in the

Aleutians... Little and Big Diomede Islands anyone?

[MADem]

43. Hmmm, so are you suggesting that this isn't the first time, but they are

publicizing a relatively common occurence for "terra terra terra be-very-afraid fear fear fear" purposes???

[nealmhughes]

45. Both Air Forces would be fools not to frequently test the early warning

systems they each have.

I am sure that anyone who flies regualarly out of the area in military flights have exchanged wing dips and smiles at Russian and US planes. It is simply impossible not to have.

Remember that a small boat can take one island hopping from the US to Siberia easily, much less an airplane!

The two Diomede Islands the farthest east and west US/Russian territories respectively, are only a few miles apart and the Aleuts who live there fish in mutual waters and are of the same nation. One has the double headed eagle and other Old Glory.

One would be an idiot not to test one's own readiness, in case of the US and Russia. Consider it a "courtesy call" if one will to NORAD. I'm sure we do the same for the Russian equivalent.

[MADem]

47. Oh sure, taking pics and making nasty hand signs and showing

dirty pictures or cartoons through the canopy or window are par for the course. That's always gone on. But I haven't seen regular reports of calls quite this close. This is the first time in over a DECADE that I've seen this shit in the news. The last big one I remember was the helo pilot on duty with the Canadians that got lasered in the eye by the Russkie trawler and had to fight like a muthafucka to get his promotion.

So what I am wondering is this: is this something NEW (as in were they closer than usual) or is this a DISTRACTION (as in let's get people all a-skeeered of the Russkies again)?

[JackORoses]

46. yeehah!

[Phrogman]

48. LOL! that a keeper!