Russian bombers in the skies near the UK: RAF jets scramble to intercept

[Up All Night]

British war planes were yesterday scrambled to intercept two Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear missiles as they flew south of Bournemouth.

Typhoon jets on high alert were dispatched from two RAF bases and flew alongside the long-range Russian Bear aircraft until they were out of the region.

Last night experts said Vladimir Putin’s move to send planes capable of carrying cruise missiles so close to British shores could be seen as an act of aggression.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2930573/Russian-bombers-skies-Bournemouth-RAF-jets-scramble-intercept-intruders.html#ixzz3QHd9jzc3

When The Wind Blows

When the Wind Blows Animated Film {Nuclear War}

[Yorkshire pud]

Happened many times before. The Russians aren't going to launch cruise misslies. The didn't enter UK airspace although it's terrible airmanship as they didn't have transponders turned on or submit a flight plan.

Shoot the fucker down.

[Delphi]

Lol "British war planes"  reminds me of ww2 or something

[Yorkshire pud]

Lol "British war planes"  reminds me of ww2 or something

The Daily Mail.Enough said.

[Marc.Knight]

Next time Russian bombers do this the U.K. should send a clear message:  Instead of sending a paltry two jets send one-hundred "war-planes" and escort them all the way back to the Russian border.

[VtaGeezer]

Putin's got a serious Napoleon complex and has restored Russian jealousy toward and paranoia against the west. We got through one Russian national implosion without some nationalist madman pushing the the button for Mother Russia. Can we dodge the big one twice?

[Marc.Knight]

Putin's got a serious Napoleon complex and has restored Russian jealousy toward and paranoia against the west. We got through one Russian national implosion without some nationalist madman pushing the the button for Mother Russia. Can we dodge the big one twice?

I lived in Russia for quite some time.  Believe it or not, the major factor regulating the "government" at this time is the Russian Mafia.  They will let Putin play King until it cuts too deeply into their criminal operations and profit.  Once it does, people start "disappearing" within Putin's circle.

[Yorkshire pud]

Next time Russian bombers do this the U.K. should send a clear message:  Instead of sending a paltry two jets send one-hundred "war-planes" and escort them all the way back to the Russian border.

As Kryten (Red Dwarf) might say:


"An excellent suggestion sir, with two fundamental problems; one, The RAF don't currently have one hundred 'war planes' and two the RAF don't currently have one hundred 'war planes'. I know technically it's only one problem, but is so glaring it was worth mentioning twice. ".


Having said that, one Typhoon would probably bring down several Bears without the pilot losing his place in the crossword.

[Marc.Knight]

That's where NATO and US planes pick up the slack.  It is not a matter of capability, but of symbolism.  Darkening the skies with war-planes around Russian bombers will make a point.

[Uncle Duke]

Next time Russian bombers do this the U.K. should send a clear message:  Instead of sending a paltry two jets send one-hundred "war-planes" and escort them all the way back to the Russian border.

*laughs*  Doubtful the RAF could put up anywhere near that number of actual combat aircraft over the UK today.  Between deployments, phased/scheduled maintenance, and a/c down due day-to-day squawks (unscheduled maintenance), the total number of fighters available on short notice in the UK would be surprising low.  Basically the QRA jets, maybe a couple dozen at most, are what's defending UK airspace at any one time.

[albrecht]

*laughs*  Doubtful the RAF could put up anywhere near that number of actual combat aircraft over the UK today.  Between deployments, phased/scheduled maintenance, and a/c down due day-to-day squawks (unscheduled maintenance), the total number of fighters available on short notice in the UK would be surprising low.  Basically the QRA jets, maybe a couple dozen at most, are what's defending UK airspace at any one time.

Couldn't we, or other NATO, country help out here and send aircraft? Isn't that a mandate of the treaty? (Not that I want to start WWIII and shoot them down- sometimes it is best to just let the crazy guy blow off some steam and satisfy his native politics to show "how tough" he is with the West by flying a few flights into airspace.)

[Marc.Knight]

Putin's got a serious Napoleon complex and has restored Russian jealousy toward and paranoia against the west. We got through one Russian national implosion without some nationalist madman pushing the the button for Mother Russia. Can we dodge the big one twice?

I think the jealousy is pre-existing Putin's stirring of the pot.  It resides mostly with the older Russian generations who miss the days of bread lines, no toilet paper, and mass murder in the name of social progress.  Many in the older generation have a disproportionate sense of nationalism that gets more pronounced and exciting when they have an "enemy" to rally against (e.g., the USA or the "West"). 


Putin knows he can easily sway this group of bone heads and uses them as a political anchor for his nationalistic ventures into the Ukraine and now his weird taunts using long-range bombers.

[Yorkshire pud]

*laughs*  Doubtful the RAF could put up anywhere near that number of actual combat aircraft over the UK today.  Between deployments, phased/scheduled maintenance, and a/c down due day-to-day squawks (unscheduled maintenance), the total number of fighters available on short notice in the UK would be surprising low.  Basically the QRA jets, maybe a couple dozen at most, are what's defending UK airspace at any one time.

I would be surprised if it was as many as two dozen. I imagine that their are between six and eight airworthy interceptors at any one time defending the UK. We have a few C17's, Herky birds, Tonka bombers and fighters (decommissioned in about a year or so) and the Typhoons. C17's make lousy missile platforms. 

[Yorkshire pud]

I think the jealousy is pre-existing Putin's stirring of the pot.  It resides mostly with the older Russian generations who miss the days of bread lines, no toilet paper, and mass murder in the name of social progress.  Many in the older generation have a disproportionate sense of nationalism that gets more pronounced and exciting when they have an "enemy" to rally against (e.g., the USA or the "West"). 


Putin knows he can easily sway this group of bone heads and uses them as a political anchor for his nationalistic ventures into the Ukraine and now his weird taunts using long-range bombers.

Hmmm, a year or so ago I watched a three part documentary on the Beeb about the cold war. The most interesting (for me) episode was about the silent underwater war with the USSR and NATO submarine fleets. The (now retired) crews and commanders spoke quite candidly about their encounters with each other. The Russians were especially aggrieved in that they were portrayed as the bad boys and aggressive; because to them, it was the NATO subs that were doing the aggressive tactics...and it's fair to say some of the admitted things could be classed as aggressive;


Take the RN Trafalgar class sub that found the Kiev on an exercise in the middle of the Soviet fleet in the Barents sea. Until then, Kiev was almost mythical, and poor satellite photos of her in harbour were the only evidence. This sub came in slowly, by passed the escorting destroyers and parked herself under the keel of the Kiev for several miles collecting acoustic data and taking photos. The distance between the top of the conning tower and the bottom of the keel was (the Captain said) about 12 feet. That's some ballsy seamanship.

[Marc.Knight]

In the same vein, we don't hear much about the stepped up NATO flights taking place now around the periphery of Russia.

[Uncle Duke]

I would be surprised if it was as many as two dozen. I imagine that their ae between six and eight airworthy interceptors at any one time defending the UK. We have a few C17's, Herky birds, Tonka operationnd fighters (decommissioned in about a year or so) and the Typhoons. C17's make lousy missile platforms. 

Yeah, the exact number of QRA birds in the UK is probably close hold information anyway, but the point was the average guy/gal on the street in most nations with respectable military capability would be shocked at the relatively low state of readiness of their military.

Regardless of how many operational fighters the RAF has today, their Achilles' Heel currently is aerial tankers.  In the past few years, they've retired their VC-10s and TriStars, and last I heard the integration of the Voyageurs into service was behind schedule.  Might be ten operational tanker a/c in the whole of the RAF.  Strange deal with those new tankers in any event, they are jointly operated by the RAF and a private contractor group.

[Yorkshire pud]

Yeah, the exact number of QRA birds in the UK is probably close hold information anyway, but the point was the average guy/gal on the street in most nations with respectable military capability would be shocked at the relatively low state of readiness of their military.

Regardless of how many operational fighters the RAF has today, their Achilles' Heel currently is aerial tankers.  In the past few years, they've retired their VC-10s and TriStars, and last I heard the integration of the Voyageurs into service was behind schedule.  Might be ten operational tanker a/c in the whole of the RAF.  Strange deal with those new tankers in any event, they are jointly operated by the RAF and a private contractor group.

Well successive governments want us to have the private sector in all hitherto public and military organisations. Aircraft maintenance is private; ASR is now private. The Nimrod was a tragedy for many reasons, mainly in trying to keep obsolete aeroplanes airworthy. No two had the same dimensions for example. Successive brass wanted X Y and Z plugging in with no regard to their X Y or Z being compatible or even suitable to work with another Brass's X Y or Z. They were last seen in an aerial shot being broken up into little pieces.

[VtaGeezer]

I miss playing Harpoon. It got intense. No silly cartoon crap, just NTDS screens.

[Kelt]

I'd pay the Russians to drop bombs on Bournemouth.


And Wigan.


Mostly Wigan.

[Uncle Duke]

I'd pay the Russians to drop bombs on Bournemouth.


And Wigan.


Mostly Wigan.

Isn't Bournemouth one of towns the German Navy shelled early in WWI?

[Yorkshire pud]

I'd pay the Russians to drop bombs on Bournemouth.


And Wigan.


Mostly Wigan.

Stuart Maconie is from Wigan; he's a good egg. I'd have Luton bombed...at least three times. And Rochdale.

[Kelt]

As Kryten (Red Dwarf) might say:


"An excellent suggestion sir, with two fundamental problems; one, The RAF don't currently have one hundred 'war planes' and two the RAF don't currently have one hundred 'war planes'. I know technically it's only one problem, but is so glaring it was worth mentioning twice. ".


Having said that, one Typhoon would probably bring down several Bears without the pilot losing his place in the crossword.

The UK has over 100 operational Typhoons alone, with another couple of squadrons on back order awaiting delivery.


While I wouldn't put a Eurofighter up against a Raptor or a Lightning II, I'd expect it to smash the shit out of Russian hardware all day long.


 

[Yorkshire pud]

The UK has over 100 operational Typhoons alone, with another couple of squadrons on back order awaiting delivery.


While I wouldn't put a Eurofighter up against a Raptor or a Lightning II, I'd expect it to smash the shit out of Russian hardware all day long.

Perhaps; But the Russians have some pretty potent bits of kit too. Plus, it's in the training too. I don't know how the Russians do it, but pilot selection in the RAF (and the USAF I shouldn't wonder) is pretty stiff competition to get past the front door into the basic training.

[Kelt]

Isn't Bournemouth one of towns the German Navy shelled early in WWI?

I hope so.

Stuart Maconie is from Wigan; he's a good egg. I'd have Luton bombed...at least three times. And Rochdale.

[/font]

[/size]
In order of dire need of bombing,

Glasgow
Glasgow outlying areas
Wigan
Sheffield
Glasgow again, just in case anything was missed the first time
Inverness
Boris Johnson

[Gd5150]

Wonder what would happen if we let one our B-36's accidently cruise by Moscow on its daily round trip from Anchorage.

[Kelt]

Wonder what would happen if we let one our B-36's accidently cruise by Moscow on its daily round trip from Anchorage.

They'd immediately alert Comrade Khrushchev, who would order Moscow Air Defence District to scramble SU-9 interceptors to shoot it down?

[Uncle Duke]

Wonder what would happen if we let one our B-36's accidently cruise by Moscow on its daily round trip from Anchorage.

You get a B-36 in the air anywhere in the world, let me know and I will be there. The last two aircraft on my "want to see fly in person" bucket list are the B-36 and the P-61.  The P-61 is in works at Mid-Atlantic in Reading, Pa, should be ready to fly in a year or so.  Back in the late 70s when I worked in Texas, there were a group of old B-36 guys in Ft Worth trying to get a B-36 back in the air, but they gave up a few years later.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

As Kryten (Red Dwarf) might say:


"An excellent suggestion sir, with two fundamental problems; one, The RAF don't currently have one hundred 'war planes' and two the RAF don't currently have one hundred 'war planes'. I know technically it's only one problem, but is so glaring it was worth mentioning twice. ".


Having said that, one Typhoon would probably bring down several Bears without the pilot losing his place in the crossword.

Love that line.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

Perhaps; But the Russians have some pretty potent bits of kit too. Plus, it's in the training too. I don't know how the Russians do it, but pilot selection in the RAF (and the USAF I shouldn't wonder) is pretty stiff competition to get past the front door into the basic training.

Th Canadian selection process is certainly difficult to get through.  Very few are selected for officer's training in the first place (I heard something like 10 000 applicants with only about 250 spots the year I joined).  I got through that and the initial pre-screening for aircrew, which includes pilot, navigator, and flight engineer.  I missed my high school graduation to go to the Aircrew Selection Center in Toronto, where I underwent a week of cognitive, coordination, and medical tests.  After that it was off to Basic Officer's training, where I found out I wasn't chosen.  I understand throughout the next four years of training there would have been a series of more difficult tests to weed people out, including one where I would have been dropped into the bush for several days and forced to survive on my own.  Of those who do make it, only the top ten percent have the option to train as a fighter or helicopter pilot.  It may be even more difficult now since I think we've retired half our CF-18s.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

Of course, you all probably remember this from a couple months ago:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30028371

Russia has said its air force will conduct regular air patrols from the Arctic Ocean to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Russia had wound down such long-range missions after the end of the Cold War.

And from a related article:

Russian warplanes are carrying out more flights in European airspace to test Nato responses and apparently imitate combat conditions, an expert says.

Igor Sutyagin told the BBC that the Russian pilots' lack of communication with air traffic controllers was "unfriendly" and "confrontational".

"They are training in conditions close to combat," said Mr Sutyagin, of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).