General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRussian bombers buzz North American coastline
A pair of Russian supersonic, nuclear-capable bombers buzzed North America Saturday, forcing American and Canadian fighter jets to scramble and intercept them, the U.S. military said.
The two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers remained in international airspace, but were escorted by two U.S. Air Force F-22 fighter jets and two Canadian CF-18 jets, according to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known as NORAD.
The U.S. jets flew from an Air Force base in Alaska.
The Russian bomber flight near North America the first known flight this year coincides with the visit of NATOs Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Washington to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan and national security adviser John Bolton.
President Trump has mulled pulling the United States out of NATO, according to senior administration officials.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-bombers-buzz-north-american-coastline/ar-BBSLYru?li=BBnb7Kz
Trump has his head up his ass.
world wide wally
(21,754 posts)Lindsay
(3,276 posts)doesn't it?
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Claritie Pixie
(2,199 posts)Putin is good at one thing - illusion. Russia and Putin are third rate.
liberalmuse
(18,672 posts)I guess intimidation and cyber propaganda are all they really have right now.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)They'd be dead before they even knew they'd been fired on if they really tried to penetrate our airspace in those flying dinosaurs. But Russia has a bit of an inferiority complex, so they need to pretend they're strong now and again.
lastlib
(23,286 posts)ESPECIALLY with our Idiot-in Chief currently occupying the White House in charge!
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)louis c
(8,652 posts)Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Whatever temporary gain Russia is getting from Trump is minimal at best and is only serving to foster massive mistrust and opposition to Russia amongst a wide swath of the American public and the world in general. Even Putin's Brexit scheme is starting to fall apart. And I know for myself, I'm way more adept at spotting Russian trolls and bots now than I ever was in the past. All this has done is make all of us aware of the massive amount of lies being pushed by Russia on us all. And when their propaganda and disinformation campaign fails, what does Russia have left? A couple of ancient bombers that could easily be taken out by a 40 year old F-15? LOL.
When the Dems reclaim the Senate and the presidency, Putin, good luck in ever getting those sanctions lifted again.
OMGWTF
(3,975 posts)mitch96
(13,924 posts)For years now... An air force guy told me they do it to see how fast they/we can scramble jets to intercept...
Now if they took a SR-71 out of mothballs and stuck a few air to air missiles on it I think the
ruskies would think twice... It's like MACH 2Fast!!
m
akraven
(1,975 posts)Our far north Flyboys are GOOD!!!
Submariner
(12,509 posts)many years ago. What a rush it was to see F-15 Eagles scramble and takeoff right in front of us then make a sharp turn north on full afterburner. In the 80s, Friday was pilot of the week fly by day weather permitting.
akraven
(1,975 posts)and even the walls rumble! I love hearing them.
And all pilots have brass balls.
Roland99
(53,342 posts)TheBlackAdder
(28,211 posts)Historic NY
(37,453 posts)these old Soviet era aircraft have been rebuilt, TU-160M2's .
TheBlackAdder
(28,211 posts).
.
EX500rider
(10,856 posts)sarge43
(28,945 posts)Manned bombers are dinosaurs. They're like the battleships of WWII, still dangerous, but left behind by technology and now vulnerable.
Pssst Vlad, tell your jocks to stop playing chicken. Someday it may not end well.
EX500rider
(10,856 posts)sarge43
(28,945 posts)kimbutgar
(21,188 posts)Our intelligence. He is such a Russian asset.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)mn9driver
(4,428 posts)DemocracyMouse
(2,275 posts)...which complements the soft cyber war action.
Which confirms that Trump is working for our enemy and must be (metaphorically) shot down.
kairos12
(12,872 posts)Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)построить стену!
Roadside Attraction
(238 posts)If the US fighters that intercepted the Ruskies launched from a base in Alaska, then, this means the flight was along the US-Canada west coast.
Maybe they were flying by to check on Sarah Palin . . . she can see Russian bombers from her front porch.
Pepsidog
(6,254 posts)Texin
(2,597 posts)Napolean did too.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)But this is primarily due to geography and climate. There's only a few ways to get troops, supplies, and reinforcements in the west through the mountains, and the East? Good luck. Russia could have the weakest army in the world and an invasion would still be a monumentally difficult task. The only two countries in the world that might be harder to invade than Russia would probably be China and the U.S. China because of it huge size and population, and the U.S. because of it's geographic isolation. You'd need an enormous navy to even be able to reach it.
But the U.S. would never invade Russia. It would either be a nuclear war, in which we would all lose, or it would be a proxy war in a third party location, in which case Russia's lack of advanced air power and logistics and supply would be their undoing.
Pepsidog
(6,254 posts)war. The Russians know we have a weak and ineffectual President who is compromised so they are pushing him around. Thats why I made that comment.
hunter
(38,326 posts)... a nice diversion from the usual boring routines.
bullwinkle428
(20,630 posts)C_U_L8R
(45,020 posts)Putin's showing him who's boss
SCantiGOP
(13,873 posts)She could see them from her house.
lillypaddle
(9,581 posts)can't come soon enough.
warmfeet
(3,321 posts)with putin and the orange one.
They should both rot in prison.
C Moon
(12,221 posts)roamer65
(36,747 posts)Since Russians like to shoot down passenger airliners, their bombers are fair game if they enter our airspace.
If I were president I would do it, without question.