This week in Russian saber rattling...

[Balog]

Tactical bombers and long range refuelers trip air defense systems, get fighters scrambled, approach within 50 miles of CA coast. Obama reportedly was concerned enough he let the group behind him play through while he took the call.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/russian-bombers-fly-within-50-miles-of-california-coast/

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, a former Alaska commander for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said he does not remember a case of Russian strategic bombers coming that close to the U.S. coast.

“Again we see the Obama administration through their covert—but overt to Mr. Putin—unilateral disarmament, inviting adventurism by the Russians,” McInerney said in an email.

“At the height of the Cold War I do not remember them getting this close. Mr. Putin had to approve this mission and he is just showing his personal contempt for President Obama right after meeting him in Normandy less than a week ago,” McInerney said.

McInerney said no American president has been treated with such disrespect in U.S. history.

“A sad day indeed and at the same time Mosul and Tikrit [Iraq] fall to radical Islamists after the Obama administration’s failed Iraq policy,” he added. “He snatched defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.”

[Ron]

Trying to provoke a disproportionate response?

What's good for the goose is good for the gander? How frequently do we get that close to theirs or China's air space?

I'm not sure if this really means much of anything. Am I wrong about that?

[Balog]

Trying to provoke a disproportionate response?

What's good for the goose is good for the gander? How frequently do we get that close to theirs or China's air space?

I'm not sure if this really means much of anything. Am I wrong about that?

I don't know that it "means" much, I think it's just Putin pissing on Obama to assert dominance.

[RevDisk]

That I'm aware of, we don't regularly send harassing flights near PRC or Russian borders. OTOH, we do park ELINT resources on their borders. Navy has parked subs inside territorial waters before.

We do most of our spying via satellite.

[Ron]

Just how diminished are our capabilities under Obama regarding a potential conflict with Russia?

What upside for them is there to a direct confrontation with the USA?

While I don't agree with our current foreign policy of confusion and mixed signals I also don't want our government escalating situations militarily in response to every move or perceived diss by our potential adversaries.

[Balog]

Just how diminished are our capabilities under Obama regarding a potential conflict with Russia?

What upside for them is there to a direct confrontation with the USA?

While I don't agree with our current foreign policy of confusion and mixed signals I also don't want our government escalating situations militarily in response to every move or perceived diss by our potential adversaries.

They don't want a direct confrontation. They just want us unable to respond as they retake Eastern Europe.

[TommyGunn]

Do any of you guys remember the good ol' COLD WAR days?
Soviet Tu-95 and similar bombers were periodicall tasked to penetrate American Airspace.  I mean, not fly up to some arbitrary border XX miles over the Atlantic, I mean they would ENTER American airspace and fly over land in New England, and Alaska and NW U.S.  We'd scramble a flight of interceptors to meet and escort them back out.  I recall listening to the radio en route to work one morning thirty three years ago listening to a news report about one incident, the newsreader said a Flight of F-104 Starfighters had interdicted them.  I was a little surprised even then that we were still using a 1950s jet in an active capacity .... but since it's now 2014 and we're still using F-15s I guess it ought not be a surprise....
I recall seeing a photo taken by an F-15 pilot during one such intercept.  The Russian bomber had a big plexiglass dome on the side of the fuselage and clearly visible was a Soviet crewman proudly displaying a can of American Coca-Cola!    

I guess ol' Putin is just nostalgic for the "good ol' daze."  

[KD5NRH]

Mr. Putin had to approve this mission and he is just showing his personal contempt for President Obama

Well, it's nice to know Vlad and I have so much in common.

[RevDisk]

Granted, we once did the same thing. Why not return the favor and pull a Francis Gary Powers?

 

[onions!]

Are they flying recycled Soviet era junk around still?

Or have they upgraded the important bits and are now an actual threat?

Making Russia an enemy again is just soooooooo dumb.A waste of resources.

[MicroBalrog]

Are they flying recycled Soviet era junk around still?

Or have they upgraded the important bits and are now an actual threat?

Making Russia an enemy again is just soooooooo dumb.A waste of resources.

The Tu-95 is about the same age as the B-52.

[onions!]

The Tu-95 is about the same age as the B-52.

I understand.It was my understanding that before the Russians took over their oil industry that their military was made of the remains of Soviet era stuff.That they were too broke to update let alone repair their fleet.
What I'm wondering is if the airframes haven't been updated with current electronics and payloads?Have the Russians caught back up?Is a flight of Reds an actual threat?Or a paper Bear?/publicity stunt?

[dogmush]

I understand.It was my understanding that before the Russians took over their oil industry that their military was made of the remains of Soviet era stuff.That they were too broke to update let alone repair their fleet.
What I'm wondering is if the airframes haven't been updated with current electronics and payloads?Have the Russians caught back up?Is a flight of Reds an actual threat?Or a paper Bear?/publicity stunt?

Publicity stunt combined with the fact that TU95 are pretty capable ELIOT platforms. They got us to touch off our radars, set a baseline for fighter intercepts, and I wonder if they got the F22 to light off those RADARs.

In the grand scheme of nuclear wars, bomber haven't been a real threat for a while. Too slow and easy to shoot down short of a good target. But still good for kicking the nest to see what comes out.

[Phyphor]

I don't know that it "means" much, I think it's just Putin pissing on Obama to assert dominance.

Pissing? I'm thinking more dry humping.

Although, it might even not be dry.... 

[MicroBalrog]

I understand.It was my understanding that before the Russians took over their oil industry that their military was made of the remains of Soviet era stuff.That they were too broke to update let alone repair their fleet.
What I'm wondering is if the airframes haven't been updated with current electronics and payloads?Have the Russians caught back up?Is a flight of Reds an actual threat?Or a paper Bear?/publicity stunt?

TU-95s were still being built until 1993, and underwent several upgrade packages.

Relevant, they're a cruise missile platform for both the Kh-55, and later Kh-101 missiles.

[RevDisk]

I understand.It was my understanding that before the Russians took over their oil industry that their military was made of the remains of Soviet era stuff.That they were too broke to update let alone repair their fleet.
What I'm wondering is if the airframes haven't been updated with current electronics and payloads?Have the Russians caught back up?Is a flight of Reds an actual threat?Or a paper Bear?/publicity stunt?

They've been updating their military. Europe and other countries are paying for said updates by buying natural gas from Russia.

http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&met_y=ny_gdp_mktp_kd_zg&hl=en&dl=en&idim=country:RUS:USA

Russia's GDP growth has been stronger than the US since the late 90's.  While our GDP is still 8 times Russia's, I wonder if they have the same debt and social program expenses that we have.

[MillCreek]

^^^ We have a lot of Russian and Ukrainian patients.  The Seattle area is supposed to be one of the largest enclaves of people from the old Soviet Union.  It started back in the 70's with people fleeing religious persecution and were sponsored by churches, to now, with people coming for the engineering and dot com jobs.  From what the patients tell me, Russia and Ukraine don't have much at all in terms of social programs for medical and educational issues.  This is particularly true for children needing special education, which apparently does not hardly even exist back home, and more elaborate medical care. 

[HankB]

That I'm aware of, we don't regularly send harassing flights near PRC or Russian borders. OTOH, we do park ELINT resources on their borders. Navy has parked subs inside territorial waters before.

We do most of our spying via satellite.

I recall reading that during the Cold War, we lost quite a number of aircraft to the Soviets. (That is, in addition to Gary Powers' U-2)

We kept it quiet so as not to inflame our own citizens' passions.

[Scout26]

Do any of you guys remember the good ol' COLD WAR days?
Soviet Tu-95 and similar bombers were periodicall tasked to penetrate American Airspace.  I mean, not fly up to some arbitrary border XX miles over the Atlantic, I mean they would ENTER American airspace and fly over land in New England, and Alaska and NW U.S.  We'd scramble a flight of interceptors to meet and escort them back out.  I recall listening to the radio en route to work one morning thirty three years ago listening to a news report about one incident, the newsreader said a Flight of F-104 Starfighters had interdicted them.  I was a little surprised even then that we were still using a 1950s jet in an active capacity .... but since it's now 2014 and we're still using F-15s I guess it ought not be a surprise....
I recall seeing a photo taken by an F-15 pilot during one such intercept.  The Russian bomber had a big plexiglass dome on the side of the fuselage and clearly visible was a Soviet crewman proudly displaying a can of American Coca-Cola!    

I guess ol' Putin is just nostalgic for the "good ol' daze."  

I don't ever recall Soviet aircraft ever flying over US land, much less enter US airspace.  They were intercepted several miles out from US airspace and escorted away (or in the case of Tu-95's to Cuba).  And we haven't had F-104's in use since they were phased out of the Air Reserves and Air National Guard in 1975.  So in 1984 we would have used F-4's and a few F-15's.

[TommyGunn]

I don't ever recall Soviet aircraft ever flying over US land, much less enter US airspace.  They were intercepted several miles out from US airspace and escorted away (or in the case of Tu-95's to Cuba).  And we haven't had F-104's in use since they were phased out of the Air Reserves and Air National Guard in 1975.  So in 1984 we would have used F-4's and a few F-15's.

Trust me it was circa 1980-1 and the news report said F-104.
They tried (and usually succeeded) to  intercept them before they entered U.S. airspace but it didn't always work that way.
The USSR's commercial airliner, Aeroflot, often had mysterious plexiglass domes or windows on the ventral surface of their craft's fuselage which were thought to be covert reconnaissance devices.  

[onions!]

Fairly relevant and kind of interesting.

http://theaviationist.com/works/zombies/

Seeing that red star is oddly creepy.It brings back memories of being scared.Odd,that.

[dogmush]

I don't ever recall Soviet aircraft ever flying over US land, much less enter US airspace.  They were intercepted several miles out from US airspace and escorted away (or in the case of Tu-95's to Cuba).  And we haven't had F-104's in use since they were phased out of the Air Reserves and Air National Guard in 1975.  So in 1984 we would have used F-4's and a few F-15's.

I've seen pictures of Backfires being escorted by F15s over land in Alaska circa 1985 or so.  They used to be up in the offices on Elmendorf and Ft. Richardson when my dad was stationed there.  I don't know how much press they got,  but they did occasionally get through.

I doubt many overflow LA or NY though.