More than 20,000 military personnel from America’s armed forces are participating in the massive military exercise known as Valiant Shield. And a pair of Russian bombers apparently conducted a flyover over Guam. Russian Major General Pavel Androv is quoted on BBC News as confirming this information, having identified the bombers as TU-95 turboprops, with the flyover maneuver being reminiscent of the Cold War era.
Not sure if they have done this recently or this is the first time they have done this in a while. there are mixed reports. some say the birds flew over the island and some say they did not. i do know that Vilant Shield is going on so maybe they were just snooping on the exercise.
what do you all think about this????
According to a statement we’ve received from the U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs Office, “according to Pacific Fleet officials U.S. forces detected two Russian TU-95 Bear aircraft midday on August 8, as they were flying south toward Guam. U.S. forces were prepared to intercept the bombers but they never came close enough to a U.S. Navy ship or to Guam to warrant an air-to-air intercept.” -from KUAM in Guam
Russia’s strategic bombers have resumed their Cold War practice of flying long-haul missions to areas patrolled by NATO and the United States, a Russian general says.
On Wednesday a Russian bomber flew over a US military base on the Pacific island of Guam and “exchanged smiles” with US pilots scrambled to track it, said Major-General Pavel Androsov, head of long-range aviation in the Russian air force.
“It has always been the tradition of our long-range aviation to fly far into the ocean, to meet (US) aircraft carriers and greet (US pilots) visually,” Androsov told a news conference.
“Yesterday we revived this tradition, and two of our young crews paid a visit to the area of the (US Pacific Naval Activities) base of Guam.
“I think the result was good. We met our colleagues – fighter jet pilots from (US) aircraft carriers. We exchanged smiles and returned home,” Androsov said.
Russia is growing more assertive on the international stage and has been trying to project its military power far beyond its borders.
Its navy said this week it wanted to revive its Soviet-era presence in the Mediterranean Sea.
Last month, Britain’s Royal Air Force scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian bombers heading towards British airspace.
Russia’s military said that was a routine flight.
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August 10, 2007 at 8:53 am