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Britain - RAF scrambles to intercept Russian bombers
Times Online (UK) (excerpt) ^ | July 18, 2007 | Richard Beeston

Posted on 07/18/2007 1:16:31 AM PDT by HAL9000

Excerpt -

RAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian strategic bombers heading for British airspace yesterday, as the spirit of the Cold War returned to the North Atlantic once again.

The incident, described as rare by the RAF, served as a telling metaphor for the stand-off between London and Moscow over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

While the Kremlin hesitated before responding to Britain’s expulsion of four diplomats, the Russian military engaged in some old-fashioned sabre-rattling.

Two Tu95 “Bear” bombers were dispatched from their base on the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic Circle and headed towards British airspace.

~ snip ~


(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: coldwar; kremlin; litvinenko; raf
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1 posted on 07/18/2007 1:16:35 AM PDT by HAL9000
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To: HAL9000

Force them down if they enter British airspace. Make Putin negotiate for the release of the people. (Keep the aircraft).


2 posted on 07/18/2007 1:22:22 AM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: HAL9000
"In London, Yuri Fedotov, the Russian Ambassador to London, said that Russia would soon respond against Britain and admitted that relations were strained.

“The response will follow. It takes time. We are serious people,” he said. (The Russian Ambassador said)
3 posted on 07/18/2007 1:33:41 AM PDT by SoldierMedic (Rowan Walter, 23 Feb 2007 Ramadi)
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To: HAL9000

Amazing.

Russia just continues to get more belligerent.

This has to be raising red flags all over Europe and the Pentegon.

I really don’t see how this plays in Russia’s favor, seems really stupid to me.


4 posted on 07/18/2007 1:43:47 AM PDT by DB
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To: HAL9000

“The Russians turned back before they reached British airspace,” an RAF spokesman said.

another piece of no-news news.

russian bears are subhunters and reckon planes - as long as they are in international airspace there’s no news.


5 posted on 07/18/2007 1:46:49 AM PDT by Rummenigge (there's people willing to blow out the light because it casts a shadow)
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To: SoldierMedic

This is all about the poisoned, Russian spy... but I’m sure that the rooskies also see Gordon Brown as a gutless, panty waist.


6 posted on 07/18/2007 3:05:59 AM PDT by johnny7 ("But that one on the far left... he had crazy eyes")
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To: HAL9000
Does pu-pu need attention again?
7 posted on 07/18/2007 3:14:10 AM PDT by Pro-Bush (hater)
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To: Rummenigge

“another piece of no-news news.”

Seeing as this is “described as rare by the RAF”, and given current events, it at first glance looks like more than a routine sortie. But it’s not worth losing sleep over, I agree.


8 posted on 07/18/2007 3:23:49 AM PDT by FostersExport
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To: Rummenigge

Umm the bear can launch nuclear tipped cruise missiles.Like our B-52.


9 posted on 07/18/2007 3:24:54 AM PDT by MARKUSPRIME
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To: LegendHasIt

Go Russian and blow them out of the sky!

LLS


10 posted on 07/18/2007 3:44:58 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Support America, Kill terrorists, Destroy dims!)
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To: LegendHasIt

No we need the practice. Shoot them down.


11 posted on 07/18/2007 3:46:48 AM PDT by bmwcyle (Satan is working both sides of the street in World Socialism and World Courts.)
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To: HAL9000

A couple of Bears on a “tweak the lion’s tail mission” guaranteed to raise aggrevation but nothing else.

These are turboprop birds. Huge, slow, ungainly and utterly defenseless to any fighter aircraft manufactured after WWII.

Now if they had done this with a couple of Backfires it might have been a different story.


12 posted on 07/18/2007 4:18:57 AM PDT by Ronin (Bushed out!!! Another tragic victim of BDS. Now an official Fredhead!)
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To: Ronin

Kind of like the B52..


13 posted on 07/18/2007 4:21:40 AM PDT by rahbert
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To: MARKUSPRIME

LMFAO

That was a master plan - send 2 bears to nuke london. Then sit back and wait for the nuclear end of days.

BTW TA52 had to be carried under the wings.

I guess the very moment some ruskie mechanic gets the order to bolt one of these under the wings of a bear there’s a hundred of pagers going of in every western government.

I really strongly hope we wouldn’t have to wait until a norwegian F16 jokey detected them visualy.


14 posted on 07/18/2007 4:31:55 AM PDT by Rummenigge (there's people willing to blow out the light because it casts a shadow)
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To: Ronin

You recon 950 km/h is slow ?

But I guess they are on the first western radar the moment they roll out of their hangars.

If they don’t use hangars I guess they are always on radar.


15 posted on 07/18/2007 4:34:09 AM PDT by Rummenigge (there's people willing to blow out the light because it casts a shadow)
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To: DB

The rise of Russia after militant Islam’s rise to infamy is not a coincidence.


16 posted on 07/18/2007 4:36:20 AM PDT by rintense (I'm 4 Thompson!)
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To: HAL9000
Putin is leveraging Russia's enormous oil windfall.


BUMP

17 posted on 07/18/2007 5:01:03 AM PDT by capitalist229 (ANDS)
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To: Rummenigge

Speed is relative......gotta compare it to something.

Compared to a plane designed to intercept Bears, the F106 at 2560 km/h, the Bear moved like pond water.


18 posted on 07/18/2007 5:18:01 AM PDT by ElectricStrawberry (1/27 Wolfhounds...cut in half during the Clinton years.)
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To: HAL9000

These actions are unnecessary and insane on Russia’s part. If these bombers actually had nukes on board, this could have gone terribly wrong and over what?


19 posted on 07/18/2007 5:21:08 AM PDT by wolfcreek (2 bad Tyranny, Treachery and Treason never take a vacation...)
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To: HAL9000

Keep pressuring the bullies, GB. You have to bully a bully.


20 posted on 07/18/2007 5:23:16 AM PDT by yldstrk (My heros have always been cowboys--Reagan and Bush)
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