Russian Bombers Fly Within 50 Miles of California Coast - intercepted by F-15's

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U.S. F-22, F-15 jets intercept four Bear H bombers near Alaska, Northern California

The remaining two nuclear-capable bombers then flew southeast and around 9:30 P.M. entered the U.S. northern air defense zone off the coast of Northern California.

Two U.S. F-15 jets were deployed and intercepted the bombers as they eventually flew within 50 miles of the coast before turning around and heading west.

A defense official said the four bombers also were supported by two IL-78 aerial refueling tankers that were used for mid-air refueling during the operation this week.

The Tu-95 is a long-range strike aircraft capable of carrying nuclear cruise missiles. Other versions are equipped with intelligence-gathering sensors and electronic warfare gear. It has a range of around 9,400 miles without refueling.

Now, I don't know about you but they have gone into the norther range of Alaska, etc, and it has always been done but 50 miles off the coast of California?

That means also that they traveled all the way down 'without' escort according to the article?

This to me is unnerving. Very unnerving. Thoughts from the aviation community?

They did this to Guam also a month or so ago...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Testing reaction times...true capabilities...sorry, if this was not an exercise and an attack we would have been screwed.

How long took the F22 and the F15 to reach the bombers after they were detected?

Oh nvm... that question was answered.

Very unnerving? The US has been doing this to Russia for years. The shoe seems to be on the other foot. Technically they can come much closer than that and still be in international waters. The US patrols off the coasts of multiple countries. I want to say about 10 miles is the exclusion zone where international waters begin, but I am not certain.

Well that is a bit unsettling. The article seems to state that it is not unusual for practice runs like this but that getting that close to CA was unusual. Guess I will have to defer to the experts on ATS as to what is and isn't unusual in this circumstance though.

Says they have nuclear cruise missile capabilities.....any way to tell if they were equipped with them on these test runs and just how far could a nuclear cruise missile travel if fired 50 miles from the CA coast?

Bombers are easy to see. It's those submarines that can go undetected. Russia and Chinese both have been able to make it to the GoM unnoticed.

It does seem like Russia has stepped up air patrols.

No problems to worry about.. we both do it to eachother... playing Counting Coup. The media is trying hard to drum up fear and portraying some old game as something new and scary. Dont buy in to the culture of fear that is being promoted.

Im serious.. try to understand the psychology and reason for playing counting coup.

a reply to: jrod

Interesting....wonder if it was a distraction for their subs to get in close to see just how close they can get without detection......

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Who knows....if anyone is tracking subs right now we will not know about it.

Just pure speculation is they are testing the response time of our intercepts.

They are expanding the scope of their proactive training and after the Ukraine, the sending of Stealth bombers to Europe by the US, the testing of the EU by Russian air for the last few months it seems that Russia is truly flexing.

The spy ships off the coast of Florida and the East Coast based out of Cuba. The asking a few months back to house aircraft in multiple areas of the world.

I know we do it...when someone else does it is cause for 'our' concern as a nation.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
Well that is a bit unsettling. The article seems to state that it is not unusual for practice runs like this but that getting that close to CA was unusual. Guess I will have to defer to the experts on ATS as to what is and isn't unusual in this circumstance though.

Says they have nuclear cruise missile capabilities.....any way to tell if they were equipped with them on these test runs and just how far could a nuclear cruise missile travel if fired 50 miles from the CA coast?

you mean if it isnt intercepted? up to 1500 miles I think thats the range for the kent cruise missile that plane carries.

They obviously don't need to get so close to use cruise missiles. Either they're doing it to provoke response or it never happened and this story is propaganda.

They do not want none, that would unite the U.S. into a the biggest baddest fighting force the world has ever seen. People may think the U.S. is weak but when attacked the people put all difference aside and come out swinging.

a reply to: Skorpy

This I think is untrue. We have, multiple times in the last 4-5 years, gone back on promises, backed the wrong 'freedom fighters' and have not reacted on the world stage.

NK parties with ex NBA stars, China is building military bases in the Pacific , Iran is being funded and given tech by Russia and China and we have all but turned our back on Israel who for years was our only true ally in the ME.

We have minimized our forces, attempted to rely on technology instead of manpower and the military is being weakened.

On a larger scale, it seems that we are preparing for a coming collapse in the US and not to fend off those who will want to pick the bones.

MAD is no longer what it was in the 70's and 80's. A few well placed EMP's launched from planes or boats or subs would take us back 80 years.

Strange times indeed in America....

a reply to: matafuchs

Did the US, not Do this exact thing to eastern Russia a little while ago? I'm pretty sure there was a very heated argument on ATS about the Russians Intercepting a US reconnaissance aircraft off the coast of Russia saying it was an act of war.

Which it is not, US flying military aircraft near Russia, Expect an escort far enough away for their comfort.

Same here, I'm actually happy to see Russia Has stood up to the US. Get your feet on straight guys, seriously.

originally posted by: matafuchs
a reply to: Skorpy

This I think is untrue. We have, multiple times in the last 4-5 years, gone back on promises, backed the wrong 'freedom fighters' and have not reacted on the world stage.

NK parties with ex NBA stars, China is building military bases in the Pacific , Iran is being funded and given tech by Russia and China and we have all but turned our back on Israel who for years was our only true ally in the ME.

We have minimized our forces, attempted to rely on technology instead of manpower and the military is being weakened.

On a larger scale, it seems that we are preparing for a coming collapse in the US and not to fend off those who will want to pick the bones.

MAD is no longer what it was in the 70's and 80's. A few well placed EMP's launched from planes or boats or subs would take us back 80 years.

Strange times indeed in America....

Well pretty much none of that is true but, in particular the miltary being weakened? We have the highest degree of military domination in our history and of any military in world history. It is just staggering that your view is out of touch with the rest of the worlds who see a US more dominate than ever, that between it and its allies are resposible for 90% of the worlds military spending, that has a navy more powerful than the rest of the worlds combined and that does whatever it wants whenever it wants. A world where nations like Russia, China and Iran are isolated and surrounded by US backed friends and allies. Stange times indeed.

a reply to: matafuchs

Ya..LOL .. it's always unsettling until it's our own back yard! ..as long as we're doing WORSE things way over by Russia, it's all good with us ...

say it with me children ...

hy·poc·ri·sy
hiˈpäkrisē/
noun
noun: hypocrisy; plural noun: hypocrisies

the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.
synonyms: dissimulation, false virtue, cant, posturing, affectation, speciousness, empty talk, insincerity, falseness, deceit, dishonesty, mendacity, pretense, duplicity;
sanctimoniousness, sanctimony, pietism, piousness;
informalphoniness, fraud
"must politics be the perennial benchmark of hypocrisy?"

originally posted by: MrSpad

originally posted by: matafuchs
a reply to: Skorpy

This I think is untrue. We have, multiple times in the last 4-5 years, gone back on promises, backed the wrong 'freedom fighters' and have not reacted on the world stage.

NK parties with ex NBA stars, China is building military bases in the Pacific , Iran is being funded and given tech by Russia and China and we have all but turned our back on Israel who for years was our only true ally in the ME.

We have minimized our forces, attempted to rely on technology instead of manpower and the military is being weakened.

On a larger scale, it seems that we are preparing for a coming collapse in the US and not to fend off those who will want to pick the bones.

MAD is no longer what it was in the 70's and 80's. A few well placed EMP's launched from planes or boats or subs would take us back 80 years.

Strange times indeed in America....

Well pretty much none of that is true but, in particular the miltary being weakened? We have the highest degree of military domination in our history and of any military in world history. It is just staggering that your view is out of touch with the rest of the worlds who see a US more dominate than ever, that between it and its allies are resposible for 90% of the worlds military spending, that has a navy more powerful than the rest of the worlds combined and that does whatever it wants whenever it wants. A world where nations like Russia, China and Iran are isolated and surrounded by US backed friends and allies. Stange times indeed.

The bigger they are .. the harder they fall ...
Pride .. ego .. it's what leads to self annihilation ..

Just may have been a warning that the US early warning systems are in the wrong time zone . Time to reset your clocks there US a reply to: matafuchs

This piece by Tom Engelhardt www.informationclearinghouse.info... is a good read .Despite much of the rhetoric about the US ability to conduct war it seems that it's the finishing of the war part the US has a hard time to get correct .Well maybe they actually do like George Bush said ( Mission Accomplished )

Don’t Walk Away from War It’s Not the American Way " The United States has been at war -- major boots-on-the-ground conflicts and minor interventions, firefights, air strikes, drone assassination campaigns, occupations, special ops raids, proxy conflicts, and covert actions -- nearly nonstop since the Vietnam War began. That’s more than half a century of experience with war, American-style, and yet few in our world bother to draw the obvious conclusions.

Given the historical record, those conclusions should be staring us in the face. They are, however, the words that can’t be said in a country committed to a military-first approach to the world, a continual build-up of its forces, an emphasis on pioneering work in the development and deployment of the latest destructive technology, and a repetitious cycling through styles of war from full-scale invasions and occupations to counterinsurgency, proxy wars, and back again.

So here are five straightforward lessons -- none acceptable in what passes for discussion and debate in this country -- that could be drawn from that last half century of every kind of American warfare:"

a reply to: the2ofusr1

I do not believe finishing the conflicts we started over there was part of the agenda. McCain was on to something when he said we'll be there for 100 years.