U.S. jets intercept Russian planes near aircraft carrier
Source: CNN
(CNN)The U.S. Navy launched four armed fighter jets to intercept two Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft that were flying near the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Pacific Ocean, the Navy said Thursday.
The four F/A-18 fighter jets were sent as "standard operating procedure" to escort planes flying near Navy ships, according to a Navy statement.
The Russian aircraft came within one nautical mile and were flying at 500 feet in altitude while the 100,000-ton warship was participating in a bilateral training exercise with South Korea on Tuesday.
The Navy said a ship escorting the Reagan during exercises near the Korean Peninsula hailed the Russian planes but did not get a response.
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Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/politics/us-aircraft-carrier-russian-plane-encounter/
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Among other things, we were also a huge floating drug barge, bringing hash, weed, etc. from the Med back to the East Cost. Hey, taxpayers demand service, eh? Anyway, I think of those days when I hear about this stuff.
One evening I was watching a russian sub off our port side. They were just using the ocean too, and probably I am on a grainy black and white film in a cold war archive. Anyway, second class told me to go below, so I did. Came up the other side and around, started watching again. I am just built curious, and learned not to listen well early on.
Anyway, the second time he increased my troubles. 
I often wonder if there was some russian kid, 17 when he joined, barely had his first joint yet, watching us and getting in trouble too.
Anyway - my point.
You are wrong. They are not playing chicken. That implies an element of the unknown that doesn't exist here. They know, perhaps as well as we do, exactly how we will respond if everything goes as planned. Most all of these people are professionals, and none of this is by accident. It is carefully crafted to have an effect, either on your immediate opponent, or on the people back home on both sides. Accidents do happen, but the response is, at least on a larger scale, always calculated.
With the sorts of things we are seeing now, it would seem they are sending us, and the rest of the world messages, that we are weaker than we used to be, and everyone knows it.
Again. accidents happen, but we can absorb a hell of a hit without responding in kind, so if things do escalate, it is because we sought an advantage, and we are pretty sure we can get it.
And maybe we aren't wrong again.
Blast from the past:
Tupolev Tu-142
Pale grey aircraft with huge four propellers and swept back wing in flight towards right of camera.
That's an Indian aircraft. Let's find one with a big red star on it. Here we go:
A Tu-142MR in flight.
The Tu-142M is powered by four 11,033 kW (14,795 shp) Kuznetsov NK-12MV turboprops, which drive huge contra-rotating AV-60N propellers.
Response to mahatmakanejeeves (Reply #7)
