Russia and China get feisty

[spuwho]

China's air force recently scrambled 2 fighters to intercept 2 Japanese intelligence aircraft flying near the disputed Shenkako Islands. The Chinese fighter showed his belly so the Japanese pilots could see it was fully armed. They came dangerously close to the Japanese planes until they finally turned back.

It was also revealed that Russian Air Force harassed a USAF RC-135  flying in open airspace between Japan and Russia in April. The Russian pilot did the same tactic by buzzing the plane and then showing his belly in that he was fully armed. The USAF plane was a Rivet Joint which collect radar signatures on aircraft types.

China and Russia have been in the early stages of doing joint military maneuvers and this has caused an increase in signal intelligence.

Both Japan and the US lodged formal complaints on not the intercepts but the near misses caused by their pilots. They were told they were unnecessary and dangerous.

Russia has stopped the near misses thus far but China has not.

[Traveller]

Shortly thereafter, an American F-14 engaged in an inverted 4G negative dive with the Russian fighter at a range of approximately two meters.  When asked about the point of the engagement, the American pilot responded that he was "communicating" with the Russian pilot and that he was "keeping up foreign relations."  The location of the encounter is classified, as is reported photographic evidence of the encounter.

[spuwho]

Shortly thereafter, an American F-14 engaged in an inverted 4G negative dive with the Russian fighter at a range of approximately two meters.  When asked about the point of the engagement, the American pilot responded that he was "communicating" with the Russian pilot and that he was "keeping up foreign relations."  The location of the encounter is classified, as is reported photographic evidence of the encounter.

Perhaps the Russians and Chinese should stop using the movie Top Gun as their inspiration? It was made some 30 years ago?



BTW: The Top Gun sequel was to feature Maverick flying an F35 Lightning II and showing their value over the use of drones. Unfortunately director Tony Scott committed suicide just before pre production.

Only the Iranians fly the F14 in active service now and they are the original A models acquired by the Shah before he was over thrown. They are quite old.

[Charles Hunter]

... The Chinese fighter showed his belly so the Japanese pilots could see it was fully armed. They came dangerously close to the Japanese planes until they finally turned back.

It was also revealed that Russian Air Force harassed a USAF RC-135  flying in open airspace between Japan and Russia in April. The Russian pilot did the same tactic by buzzing the plane and then showing his belly in that he was fully armed. The USAF plane was a Rivet Joint which collect radar signatures on aircraft types.

...

Maybe they just want someone to rub their bellies ...

[spuwho]

Seems the Russians are at it again.

Per The Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11531795/Russian-fighter-jet-intercepts-US-Air-Force-reconnaissance-flight.html

Russian fighter jet intercepts US Air Force reconnaissance flight (again)



The US is protesting an intercept of an American reconnaissance plane by a Russian fighter jet last week, calling it "unsafe and unprofessional" amid what it views as increasingly aggressive air operations by Moscow.
Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright on Sunday said the US was filing a complaint to Russia after the April 7 incident over the Baltic Sea.
Russian officials have denied their pilot did anything wrong, according to several news reports.
According to the Pentagon, the US RC-135U plane was flying in international airspace north of Poland. US officials say a Russian SU-27 fighter intercepted the US aircraft at a high rate of speed from the rear, and then proceeded to conduct two more passes using "unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers" in close proximity.
"Unprofessional air intercepts have the potential to cause harm to all aircrews involved. More importantly, the careless actions of a single pilot have the potential to escalate tensions between countries," Wright said.
"This air activity takes place in the context of a changed security environment in view of Russia's aggression against Ukraine," he said.
It is not the first time the US has protested to Moscow what it considered to be an unsafe intercept. Last April, a Russian fighter jet intercepted a US reconnaissance plane in international airspace over the Sea of Okhotsk.

[I-10east]

I say let the two frenemies of the US go at it.

[spuwho]

Russians have been increasing their footprint around the Baltics because of some paranoia around Kalininigrad.  A Russian territorial enclave between Lithuania and Poland. There is a large Russian navy and AF presence there.

Currently the Russians can only supply it via an overland route through Lithuania via Belarus or a sea route which is heavily monitored by NATO.

There have been reports of "slowdowns" by Lithuanian customs on Russian shipping firms trying to reach the enclave since the Crimean take over.

This is making the Russians more aggressive in the air space nearby.

USAF Rivet Joint flights always make the Russians and PLA irritated because of their ability to harvest electronic data on their C&C.

The contrast however is the fact that our intercepts in Alaska are professional with their counterparts. And the last sortie they sent over was clearly a electronic grab on the F-22 Raptor.

We usually have had a good rapport with the Russians when it comes to sniffing on each other, but Ukraine has changed all that. The PLAAF has never liked us doing any sniffing. The unprofessional pilot behavior by them in the South China Sea forced USAF to use U-2's out of Kadena.

[Gunnar]

I would say that there is more paranoia in the Baltics regarding the sizeable number of Russians (colonists from former Soviet times and their descendants ) still living there and fear that the Russians could be using them as an excuse for aggression just like they are doing in Ukraina.