Old friends meeting in mid-air...

I guess we can expect the Europeans to start asking for help via NATO from the US soon. What comes around goes around. If it were up to me I'd tell the EU to pound sand and take care of themselves. Russia has an energy strangle hold on much of 'western' Europe. Islam from within and Russian oil and military superiority from the east. How do I put this..........bend over and grab your ankles.

[Reaves]

So the Russians are training young pilots, the end is near!!!


All a load of B.S. The Russians have every right to do operations like this. On the other hand, if they come into Aussie airspace i'll personally knock em out of the air with my laser guided boomerang.

[August]

It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

[quote=Reaves]So the Russians are training young pilots, the end is near!!!
[quote]

Its not like Guam is close to Russian airspace and this was a training mission. Remember KAL 007. Guam is a well known military installation and it wasn't approached by accident. It was a message. The Russians have made a calculated decision based on world opinion, military rediness, and political expedience visa vis the anti-war movement. If nothing else it shows the danger of being seen as lacking the political will for victory.

[Camaero]

Originally Posted by CCIP

Sigh. And I was having a bad enough day already.

You know, as someone who's (totally unfairly) experienced the residue of some of these original sentiments, I really really resent that.

Don't really have any problem with the Russian people in general. However, I absolutely despise the Russian government. Just starting with WWII they have been nothing but an enemy to the US and its allies. I love how Stalin was so buddy buddy with Hitler until Hitler invaded Russia. Then the Russians cried for allied help. Of course when we asked for the Russians to help out with the Japs, they refused until the war was almost over, then it was just an easy land grab. Then we have the atrocities done to the Poles, and later what was done to the Germans and the other countries they grabbed. I really wish that Roosevelt would have listened to Churchill and refused the whole treaty. Ok, so let’s move on because I can forgive the Russians for a Stalin just like I can forgive the Germans for a Hitler. The Germans and the Japanese are now a pretty good ally of ours. Cool deal.

But no, then we have the cold war, we have the Russians supplying the enemies of America with weapons in just about every American war after WWII, we have constant skirmishes and close calls that almost destroy the world and it just continues... The Russian government has kept their country so backwards and for so long, it is just amazing. Anyway, I view the Russians as an enemy. How can I not? I have a large hatred for all that they have done and all they continue to do.

[Reaves]

I agree they were sending a message, but I hardly think it deserves a return of cold war thinking. Russia isn't about to attack the USA, they are just banging their chests and making some noise so the rest of the world know they are there. Plus i'm sure they are not the only counry in the world that sends military units to the boarders of other sovereign countries. I find it a bit ridiculous the negative spin the paper put on the story is all.

ie: It finishes with this...

The bombers have the capability of launching a nuclear strike with the missiles they carry.

It is worrying the amount of noise they have been making lately, claiming territory in the Arctic and all. But this story is nothing to be alarmed at.

Originally Posted by Reaves

It is worrying the amount of noise they have been making lately, claiming territory in the Arctic and all. But this story is nothing to be alarmed at.

That is what was said after the bombing of the WTC in 1993.

I wish folks would just wake and see threats for what they are. Not that I think Russia is a threat to the US until a Democrat reaches the white house but Russia is a threat to any non-nuclear nation.

Our congress is currently filled with surrender monkeys who won't lift a finger for any nation. They are in favor of talking about it however.

[Reaves]

Originally Posted by waste gate

That is what was said after the bombing of the WTC in 1993.

I wish folks would just wake and see threats for what they are. Not that I think Russia is a threat to the US until a Democrat reaches the white house but Russia is a threat to any non-nuclear nation.

Our congress is currently filled with surrender monkeys who won't lift a finger for any nation. They are in favor of talking about it however.

If Russia threatened another country then I certainly would be alarmed. More of the fact that IMO the UN should come down hard on Russia for such an act but I know they would do nothing. Which is unfortunate for the USA as you guys are the only other authority that could penalize her.

What ever happened to my glorious Commonwealth? (But that's a matter for another thread.)

Originally Posted by Reaves

If Russia threatened another country then I certainly would be alarmed. More of the fact that IMO the UN should come down hard on Russia for such an act but I know they would do nothing. Which is unfortunate for the USA as you guys are the only other authority that could penalize her.

What ever happened to my glorious Commonwealth? (But that's a matter for another thread.)

The UN? As you said it won't happen, and even if it did, where is the power to back-up any UN resolution? The UN is given more credit than it is worth the world over. Why? For the same reason that the EU wants its 'constitution' to have weight based on population. One nation one vote. The UN is there to make lesser nations feel important, and take money, nothing more. You and I would not want to live in most UN nations. The UN as an organization is more than useless.

[Reaves]

Originally Posted by waste gate

The UN as an organization is more than useless.

[Chock]

I think they should change the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, just for a laugh.

Here is my suggested new five: Luxembourg, Wales, Mexico, Nepal, and The Galapagos Islands.

Chock

[Skybird]

Don't understand the noise. What are the russians doing, that in any way is not being done by western and american forces as well? Spy planes are operating at minimal distances to Russian airspace, for example, and a network or ELINT capable bases has been erected around Russia in recent years.

Not even starting to think about contemporary russian and american sub operations.

"We had been distracted until lately, and now we are back." In combination with the approach on Scotland recently, this is the message they tell - not more, not less.

[AntEater]

The bombers have the capability of launching a nuclear strike with the missiles they carry.

That's either total military incompetence or spin doctoring from the media.
Ok, incompetence in military affairs seems to be a trademark of today's journalism.

The Tu-95 is less capable of launching missiles of any sort than the average western P-3 Orion patrol aircraft. The long range comes from using the bomb bay for fuel tanks.
The only weapons of the Bear D are the tail cannons, with which they maybe can launch nuclear 23mm bullets

The Tu-95 "Bear D" is simply a reconaissance aircraft BASED on a bomber, not a bomber.
The bomber version is called Tu-142, if i'm correct, as is the ASW version. They look similar but western interceptors would certainly notice the difference. Also the bombers do not have the range of the recon version.
Of course having a recon aircraft based on a bomber does play in the hands of spin doctors. But I'm sure with the economic recovery and all that the russians might soon get a new MPA type, and I can only advise them NOT to base it on a bomber this time
Maybe the Beriev Be-200 amphibian?

[Skybird]

The Tu-95 originally was known as Tu-20.

The general design was/is capable to carry nuclear weapons, and missiles.

Variants according to Wikipedia:

Tu-95/1 - Prototype.

• Tu-95/2 - Prototype.
• Tu-95K - Experimental version for air-dropping a MiG-19 SM-20 jet aircraft.
• Tu-95M-55 - Missile carrier.
• Tu-96 - high speed bomber project, never got off the ground.
• Tu-119 - Nuclear powered aircraft project. Just like the Tu-96 it did not fly.
• Tu-142LL (Letayushchaya Laboratoriya - Flying Laboratory) - Engine testbed aircraft.
• Bear A (Tu-95/Tu-95M) - Basic variant of the long-range strategic bomber and the only model of the aircraft never fitted with a nose refuelling probe.
• Bear-A (Tu-95U - Uchebnyy) - Training version.
• Bear B (Tu-95K/Tu-95KD) - Designed to carry the AS-3 Kangaroo air-to-surface missile. The Tu-95KD aircraft were the first to be outfitted with nose probes.
• Bear C (Tu-95KM) - Modified and upgraded versions of the Bear B, most notable for their enhance reconnaissance systems. These were in turn converted into the Bear G configuration.
• Bear D (Tu-95RTs - Razvedchik Tseleukazatel') - Variant of the basic Bear A configuration, redesigned for maritime reconnaissance and targeting as well as electronic intelligence (ELINT) for service in the Soviet Naval Aviation. This aircraft was featured in Tom Clancy's techno-thriller Red Storm Rising.
• Bear E (Tu-95MR) - Bear A modified for photo-reconnaissance and produced for Naval Aviation.
• Bear F (Tu-142/Tu-142M) - Originally designed as a maritime surveillance aircraft to supplement the Bear D, the Bear F evolved to become the premier anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft of the Soviet Navy during the Cold War. The ASW variants were designated as Tu-142M2 (Bear F Mod 2), Tu-142M3 (Bear F Mod 3), and Tu-142M4 (Bear F Mod 4). This aircraft was featured in the 1990 film adaptation of Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October.
• Bear G (Tu-95K22) - Conversions of the older Bear bombers, reconfigured to carry the AS-4 Kitchen missile and incorporating modern avionics.
• Bear H (Tu-95MS/Tu-95MS6/Tu-95MS16) - Completely new cruise missile carrier platform based on the Tu-142 airframe. This variant became the launch platform of the Kh-55 (AS-15 Kent) cruise missile. The Bear-H was referred to by the U.S. military as a Tu-142 for some time in the 1980s before its true designation became known.
• Bear J (Tu-142MR - Morskoy Razvedchik) - Variant of the Bear F modified for use in submarine communications as well as other command, control and communications (C3) duties.
• Bear T (Tu-95U) - Training variant, modified from surviving Bear A's but now all have been retired.

Several other modification of the basic Tu-95/Tu-142 airframe have existed but these were largely unrecognized by Western intelligence or else never reached operational status within the Soviet military. One of these modified Bears, known as the Tu-95V, was used to drop the Tsar Bomba.

[bradclark1]

No big deal. It provides good training to radar and air crews. Tons of fun. Just make sure the planes are loaded.