Canadian aircraft intercept Russian bombers

Canadian aircraft intercept Russian bombers

www.abc.net.au

Canadian fighter jets have scrambled to repel Russian bombers that intruded into Canadian airspace.

The Russian Tupolev-95 is a long-range bomber capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Canadian defence minister Peter MacKay says CF-18s were sent to intercept two of the bombers that made several attempts to enter Canadian airspace.

Military officials say there was no advance warning and Mr MacKay says all such incursions will be met with a swift response.

Intelligence analysts say the frequency of these attempts has been increasing, especially as Canada and Russia are in a race to la

(visit the link for the full news article)

Look out Canada the Russians are coming and they want to make a claim for oil in the Arctic.Russian TU-95 long range bombers were intercepted by CF-18s and apparently there was no warning
I would have thought that the Canadian Airforce would know if these bombers were approaching well beforehand,Not really a good defence system if they can send nuclear capable aircraft into Canadian airspace .

www.abc.net.au
(visit the link for the full news article)
www.airliners.net.../142&distinct_entry=true
www.rigzone.com...
www.timesonline.co.uk...



[edit on 31-7-2010 by 12voltz]

reply to post by 12voltz



This isn't anything new actually.

Russia is just flexing her muscles. During the Cold War these types of flights were commonplace. Nothing to get worried about. We play the same games with them. It's the old Cold War Cat and Mouse games.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by 12voltz

 

This isn't anything new actually.

Russia is just flexing her muscles. During the Cold War these types of flights were commonplace. Nothing to get worried about. We play the same games with them. It's the old Cold War Cat and Mouse games.

This wasn't new during the cold war.. of the 80's? Or is this nothing new now? Just wonderin.

Maybe not but this isnt the cold war anymore.Its the very cold war
www.timesonline.co.uk...
Russia warns of war within a decade over Arctic oil and gas riches
Graphic: the very cold war

Russia raised the prospect of war in the Arctic yesterday as nations struggle for control of the world’s dwindling energy reserves.

The country’s new national security strategy identified the intensifying battle for ownership of vast untapped oil and gas fields around its borders as a source of potential military conflict within a decade.

This article is from May 14 2009

[edit on 31-7-2010 by 12voltz]

The incursions also come during the debate over whether Canada needs a new generation of high-tech military fighter jets.

You don't think this is the main reason why this is happening... Its just the MIC at work again.

I would have thought that the Canadian Airforce would know if these bombers were approaching well beforehand,Not really a good defence system if they can send nuclear capable aircraft into Canadian airspace .

They were not in Canadian airspace!

"They were in the buffer zone," said MacKay, stressing that although the planes did not enter Canada's sovereign airspace, the bombers did come inside the 300 nautical mile zone that Canada claims.

Canada recently invested over C$2 billion to upgrade the CF18's, and signed a C$9 Billion deal for 65 F-35's.

www.calgarysun.com...
www.reuters.com...

reply to post by TortoiseKweek


i am just going on the report i read ,but thanks for pointing out that minor detail.
(quote from snippet)
Canadian fighter jets have scrambled to repel Russian bombers that intruded into Canadian airspace.

Canadian fighter jets have scrambled to repel Russian bombers that intruded into Canadian airspace.

You're right there, no doubt. They have been testing Canadian and US (Alaska) airspace for years now. It would be extremely stupid of them to do anything further though. The only reason I can think they'd want to enter either airspace is for intelligence gathering only.

This is just an attempt by Peter McKay and the Harper Government to justify wasting money on the JSF. The JSF program still hasn't solved the engine problems and the delivery date is no where near guaranteed as they are having funding problems with the whole 2 engine design problem resulting in billions in cost overruns and delays.

All of the above notwithstanding, Canada is a large country and we need interceptors with good legs(Range). The JSF's will need to carry external fuel tanks in order to cover the vast distances needed for intercepts. This takes away a lot of the stealth advantages of the aircraft.

We should be getting the Superhornet as our replacement. It's a very capable platform and at $57 million/plane much cheaper than the JSF. Do we really need stealth at an additional cost of $38 million/plane. An advantage for the Superhornet is that our pilots and ground crews have been using F-18s for decades. Other than minor training on the Superhornet upgrades it would be far easier and cheaper transitioning our pilots and ground crews to the Hornet versus a whole new airframe and systems.

Back on topic, this is just a ploy by the Conservatives to justify to themselves the need to waste billions just to get "Stealth". The Billions of dollars we would save going to the Superhornet could be spent elsewhere in the military where it's desperately needed.

Deez

reply to post by TortoiseKweek


.Like you say they are probably testing the defence capabilities and looking at the bigger picture in case the world is thrown into a larger conflict spurred on by the recent activity regarding Iran and N Korea. Oil is still the number one commodity needed to wage war and to start wars.Do you think your country would hesitate to shoot down Russian bombers if they pushed it too far?

reply to post by 12voltz


I really can't say if they would shoot them down. I doubt the Russians would be stupid enough to go that far.... if they did, then maybe Canada would shoot them down. Let's not forget that Canada exports a LOT of oil to the US, and an attack on Canada would almost mean an attack on the US. I don't see it happening.

Besides testing Canadas air defence. Could it be they are testing new equipment with stealth capabilities or radar jamming tech?

I think theres more to it then just trying to flex muscle.

reply to post by wantsome


radar jamming tech - maybe? But stealth on a T-95 Bear?

Not happening

This happened in the UK recently aswell, but what we don't hear about is how we do the exact same thing to Russian airspace on occassion (by 'we' I mean NATO).

It's a good way of keeping everyone on their toes and short of a tragic accident it will never lead to anything more. I think it's meant all in good fun.

Each link below refers to a seperate incident;

news.scotsman.com...

www.armedforces-int.com...

www.aolnews.com...



[edit on 31-7-2010 by Big Raging Loner]

Originally posted by wantsome
I think theres more to it then just trying to flex muscle.

They are desperately trying to keep their pilot corps proficient on such missions and flight profiles. The Russian Air Force looks impressive on paper, but their pilots receive only a fraction of the flight hours NATO driver do (I wont even mention the combat ready state of their aircraft). Furthermore, they lack constant and comprehensive joint exercises to keep their proficiency current and ratings high, even to just test their equipment and tactics. A single U.S. bomber might fly more sorties in a year than the entire Russian (bomber) fleet.

Also, when officials say there was 'no prior warning', what they mean was Russia did not file an international and public plan of action. Sometimes they do, and many times they do not. This lets all relevant parties know on which day to expect 'something'. It is a matter courtesy, not a requirement that's mandatory. Trust me, you can see the 'Bear' from a long way's away. It tends to have a very distinct and prominent tell-tale signature, both from what the aircraft reflects, and what it emits. During the Cold War, U.S. early warning sensors/systems knew about long range Russian flights as soon as they went 'wheel's up'... and intelligence was so phenomenal that we often also knew the specific crews on board a given AC.

[edit on 31-7-2010 by WestPoint23]

'Wow "Canada has fighter jets[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/5fafed81b717.jpg[/atsimg]
just kidding canada you have a great country and i am glad somebody is intercepting these bombers! where was the US" watching" our radar screens..

reply to post by 12voltz

It says in the article as Slayer pointed out, that these incursions are fairly common..

From the linked article:

The incursions also come during the debate over whether Canada needs a new generation of high-tech military fighter jets.

IMHO
thats why the press.
the wiki edit incident also probably spurred this press too...

Canada will soon be just another ten states anyways...
Theres no other way that it makes much sense to the PTB.
Just because we dont hear about it lately, the motions are still being made to get North America into one cohesive unit.
The people who control us plan for decades and even multi decades ahead...one setback here and there will not deter their ultimate designs.
The resource rich arctic will be a bone of contention for a long long time to come.....Major trouble brewing up there, and it is gonna be a rough ride for all parties concerned.
Just a thought, but couldnt Nunavit get some of the lucrative US aid for new jets too?....Those few native peoples own a big chunk of that realestate...and the resouce base.

reply to post by 12voltz


Just a test of Canada's defenses.