Posted on 02/09/2011 9:35:24 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Many residents of Tayside and Fife reported hearing the jets roaring away from the threatened front-line base shortly after 5am on Tuesday. The unknown planes were soon identified as Russian military aircraft.
When contacted by The Courier, a spokeswoman at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) stressed the Russian aircraft had not encroached into UK airspace.
"Aircraft were launched to identify two unknown aircraft that were flying in international airspace over the North Sea," she said. "They were identified as Russian military aircraft."
The latest incident comes just two weeks after a pair of Russian Bear bombers were intercepted close to Newcastle by crews from Leuchars.
Heartening
It is sure to hearten campaigners, who insist the Fife base represents the best strategic location for the UK's vital Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) teams.
Crews from Leuchars are ready to depart at a just few minutes' notice right around the clock.
At the moment there are fewer than 1000 service personnel at Leuchars, a drop from a peak of around 1800.
Jets from RAF Leuchars have been scrambled more than 50 times in the last five years to intercept Russian military aircraft.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecourier.co.uk ...
I think that are testing air defense response.
They are testing air defense responses in a number of areas such as Alaska,Norway and Canada.
How many times does the boy cry “Wolf” before no one pays any attention?
There is a reason why NATO/Alaska NORAD and Canadian NORAD Region pilots meet TU-95. NATO/Alaska ,NORAD pilots,and Canadian NORAD Region are to protect our airspace from bombers and further airborne aggression . We do not know the intentions of these bombers that fly into these regions.
Here’s an idea:
Don’t send any planes up, or at least keep them close to base. Once the “unknown aircraft” enters your airspace, and doesn’t respond to radio contact, shoot it down.
You would probably need authorization from the POTUS. No general in NORAD will stick out their neck for that action.
Yes, but no NORAD or NATO general would ever authorize a shoot down of a TU-95 that because it can easily start a war.
Wartime Yes, Peacetime,No
You would still authorize such an action.
Either that or their hearing, it was Bears after all.
I am sure bombers would only appear fully armed when there is a war about to pick up. Chances are cities would be destroyed before the bombers appear. It takes 30 minutes for a missile to reach its targets. It takes 12 hours for a bomber to appear into an enemy radar screen
SIGINT. I agree
No. Its a waste of a Russian strategic bomber.There are very few of them still functioning. I think anyone either in the Kremlin would be put in a Russian jail for suggesting that.
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