Article

2018-05-13 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Two US F-22 jets escort Russia’s Tu-95 aircraft -- Russian Defense Ministry

[ALMASDARNEWS] Russia’s Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft were escorted by two F-22 jets of the US Air Force at some section of the route, which did not approach them closer than 100 meters, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told news hounds on Saturday.

He noted that "the Tu-95MS strategic bombers operated by the [Russian] Aerospace Forces and the Tu-142 long-range anti-submarine aircraft operated by the Navy successfully performed a planned flight over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk on May 11."

"At some section of the route the aircraft operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces that were carrying out a patrol flight were escorted by two F-22 jets of the US Air Force for 40 minutes, which did not approach them closer than 100 meters," he said.

According to Konashenkov, the crews of the Russian aircraft have fully accomplished their air patrol missions.

He added that Russia’s long-range and naval aviation pilots regularly performed flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Pacific. All flights by Russian aircraft are performed in strict conformity with the international airspace rules, without any violations of other countries’ borders.

Posted by Fred 2018-05-13 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11135 views ] Top

#1 ...There used to be an unwritten code of behavior for this sort of thing. The fighters would form up on the bomber, everybody would look each other over, get some serious pictures, then the Bear tail gunner would lower his cannon to full depression. At that point everybody would get out their personal cameras. The Americans would hold up Playboy and Penthouse centerfolds*; the Russians would pull out bottles of vodka and slam back a toast.

The fighters would escort them down to the next intercept, everybody would salute, and the whole thing would start all over again. I imagine some of those Russian aircrew were well and truly hammered by the time they got down.

Mike

*I imagine the centerfolds part has long since been banned.

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2018-05-13 06:30|| 2018-05-13 06:30|| Front Page Top

#2 I imagine the centerfolds part has long since been banned.

Nope. Nowadays it's the Russians who wave centerfolds while Americans cover their eyes.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2018-05-13 07:33|| 2018-05-13 07:33|| Front Page Top

#3 I met a youg Air Force pilot Friday at dinner. He is the grandson of one of my friends here. He has flown both the F-22 and F-35 and said he prefers the F-22 because you have to actually fly it most of the time. The F-35 he was mostly a passenger.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2018-05-13 09:03|| 2018-05-13 09:03|| Front Page Top

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