Russian bomber buzzes U.S.S. Nimitz

[satyen]

from CNN:
"American fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers, one of which buzzed a U.S. aircraft carrier in the western Pacific over the weekend, U.S. military officials told CNN Monday. A Tupolev-95 flies over the Izu Islands, just south of Tokyo, Saturday.





One of them twice flew about 2,000 feet over the deck of the USS Nimitz Saturday while another flew about 50 miles away, officials said. Two others were at least 100 miles away, the military reported."

What do you guys think of this? I find it very surprising that such a huge aircraft could come this close to the carrier group and that too do a Buzz. I mean was it not detected or what? Isn’t this stupid on Russia part?

[baggygreen]

From what i've seen, hey were intercepted by 4 F18s at about 1000km and escorted all the way.

just muscle flexing imo

[bookworm_020]

I wonder how tempting it would to be to let loose the Phalanx CIWS

[Marriott]

yeah muscle flexing is what it seems. pretty much every country with even a small amount of influence does something like this every once in a while. Flying fighters into another countries airspace, launching a few missiles, carrying out large military excercises, military parades, military vessels coming close or just barely entering another country's waters. It seems some media makes a bigger deal out of things like this then what is really required, but thats just my opinion.

[FIREWALL]

Anyone have any links to news articles?

[satyen]

does any one have a link as to what is going on i dont trust cnn

[AkbarGulag]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

Anyone have any links to news articles?

BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7240197.stm

Article on Al Jazeera also http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...9842D9A475.htm

Anyway, it doesn't mean anything. After all, it's international waters. If they didn't want to play bombers and carriers together they would all be in port/base.

Other sources can be informative, but usually they suddenly stop functioning (i.e Hezbolah news) .... unless you set up a proxy server in a third country (to mask your own location). This seems fairly effective against state censorship of websites.

[geetrue]

Flying at 2,000 feet is a funny choice ... unless they were on a visual bombing run.

Todays weapons are lauched far away from a visual contact ...

All that leaves is a desire to cause an international snafu to embarass the enemy.

The Russians are getting oil rich funny ... returning to the, "we are better than you are", cold war days.

It keeps Putin in power to make his fellow countrymen think that he is doing something to justify his plan to increase their aging military machine.

[swifty]

Russia has restarted flying the Bear cold war like air patrols last year. One recently was escorted by Japanese F-16s when it "wondered" into Japanese air space. On thanksgiving one was escorted by F-22 when it started to approach US air space in Alaska. (Photos Attached)

During the cold war it wasn't uncommon for carrier flyovers operating in international waters how ever there was always a US fighter escort.

I find it disturbing Russia is going back to it's old ways. In part it is due to Russia, Canada and Japan fighting over northern territory for mineral rights.

View from an IL 38 flying over a USN CV, intercepted by a USN F 4E