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Ruskies Buzz US Carrier
By Charlie
And they expressed "surprise" that we thought it was a big deal. Wow:
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia expressed surprise on Tuesday that the United States had scrambled fighter jets at the weekend to intercept strategic Russian bombers, one of which flew over a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Pacific.Four U.S. F/A-18 fighters were launched after Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers flying south of Japan were detected turning towards the Nimitz aircraft carrier and its escort, a U.S. defense official said.
One of the Russian bombers flew over the deck of the Nimitz, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The U.S. fighters escorted the Russian bombers out of the area.
"It is standard operating procedure for U.S. planes to escort aircraft flying in the vicinity of U.S. Navy ships," the U.S. defense official said.
The Tupolev Tu-95 is the most successful and longest-serving Tupolev strategic bomber and missile carrier built by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
So is this an opening shot in Putin's new "arms race" with the US? This smacks of an attempt to remain relevant, and a poor one at that. The Russians just are not the global threat they once were, and their aging military equipment is not the fearsome Red Army that it once was, poised to storm into Germany. As Russia struggles for relevance, this type of dangerous nonsense may continue.
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Comments
I wouldn't count out Ivan just yet. The Russians have drastically increased their defense spending in the past couple of years, and they have some remarkable airframes in development at the moment. Nothing quite like the F-22, F-35, or V-22, but they are still a force to be reckoned with. The US should endeavor to balance against both Russia and the PRC, and maybe seek ways to exploit the historical animosities between the two countries to prevent them from forming a strategic partnership.
I doubt this is the last we'll see of events like these, though. And with the Marine Corps returning to an expeditionary mindset after a few years of playing in the sandbox, the Pacific is going to start to get pretty crowded...
The Russians are dangerous because they can develop excellent technology. However, the danger lies in the fact that Russia itself is to poor to buy it, but other Iran and China are swimming in riches right now.
Not even a Backfire? I'm disappointed...
This is actually dangerous because in their fight for relevance the oil money they are swimming in right now can go into their heads...
And yes, we definitely need to exploit Russia-China rocky history...
Was ist los?........another propaganda post? Is Rudolph Hess dead yet?....c'mon! Do ya think the Russkies are doing flyovers with that cantankerous (SP?) piece of machinery? Scheisse!....where the hell is Jimmy Stewart when ya need him?
Horneytoad
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The only thing that I can see that makes these flyovers unusual is the fact that the russians are actually up to their old tricks again. They did this to us all the time during the Westpac cruises I was on in the '80s. I absolutely agree that their equipment is old and decrepit...it was 20 years ago. My suggestion is for us to go back to our old tactics: give'em the moon when they fly by.