Russia Resumes Nuke Bomber Sorties

[Brian Baldwin]

shoot them out of the air.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Flights Smack Of Cold War

U.S. fighters ID bombers near Alaska

Russian bombers have stepped up provocative flight exercises off the Alaskan coast, reminiscent of Cold War incursions designed to rattle U.S. air defenses.

U.S. Northern Command, which protects North American airspace, told The Washington Times that TU-95 Bear bombers on 18 occasions the past year have skirted a 12-mile air defense identification zone that protects Alaska. The incursions prompted F-15s and F-22 Raptor fighters to scramble from Elmendorf Air Force Base and intercept the warplanes. The last incident happened in May.

The venerable propeller-driven TU-95 came to symbolize the Cold War, as did its counterpart, the U.S. B-52 Stratofortress.

"They have flown close enough to deem it necessary to ID and monitor them," said Maj. Allen Herritage, a base spokesman. "They come. We ID. We go back to our base. They go back to their base." Elmendorf is headquarters for the Alaskan region of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Air defense identification zones are military boundaries designed to guard the U.S. and Canada against attack. To enter the zones legally, pilots must file flight plans with air controllers. Russian bombers do not file flight plans, so U.S. and Canadian jets are required to scramble to identify the planes and warn them away from the area.

"They have not been filing a flight plan and that is the problem," Maj. Herritage said.

Moscow's sophisticated show of force has some in the Pentagon paying more attention to the long-term goals of a Russian military, which is being rebuilt with proceeds from the country's huge oil and gas revenues. NORAD is more sensitive than ever to wayward aircraft, given the Sept. 11 attacks by hijackers and the lack of military coordination at the time to track, and perhaps destroy, the planes.

Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, talked on Monday of "the challenges we have with a resurgent Russia" while addressing Pentagon workers at a town-hall-style meeting.

Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., chief of NorthCom, said earlier this month that "I think the Russians are not a near-term military threat," while noting they had "renewed" military flights over the polar region. This is the route U.S. or Russian bombers would travel to bomb the other's country.

"I think we do have to make sure, you know, post-9/11 world, that we never let an unidentified aircraft come into our airspace, and that we determine who they are and what they're doing, and if it is a Russian aircraft on a training mission, we allow them to continue to do their job," Gen. Renuart said on WUSA-TV's "This Week in Defense News."

Although Gen. Renuart downplayed the incursions, other air-power authorities said Vladimir Putin, as Russian president, began flexing his military's muscle last year as a message to Washington.

"Putin is trying to get the military rejuvenated and trying to show they are a military power," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney, who commanded NORAD's Alaska region. "He's doing it for a whole host of things. It's really muscle-flexing."

When told that 18 Russian incursions had been reported in 12 months, Mr. McInerney said, "That's a lot."

Mr. Putin, who relinquished the presidency in May and is now prime minister, has been at odds with President Bush over NATO expansion and the invasion of Iraq. At times, he has made strong anti-U.S. statements that stirred Cold War memories.

A NorthCom statement to The Times said, "Russia has indicated in open press reporting its intention to proceed with navigation and operational training."

Mr. McInerney said the incursions are the most sophisticated since the Cold War. He made the assessment based on an Air Force briefing he received last fall at Elmendorf.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images PUSHING IT: A U.S. warplane (right) intercepts a TU-95 Bear, a Russian plane commonly used during the Cold War, in February. The American plane escorted the bomber away from a carrier south of Japan after the Russian plane came threateningly close.

The retired general called the exercises "coordinated attacks coming into our air defense identification zone. They are very sophisticated attack training maneuvers. These incursions are far more sophisticated than anything we had seen before."

He said the Russian army air force is launching Bear bombers from Tiksi on the Arctic Ocean and Anadyr in Siberia. They are flying against the air defense identification zone from both the polar caps and from the south. The Air Force statement said it has "monitored Russian aircraft taking off from a variety of air bases across their country."

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Strategic Bombers Continue Arctic, Atlantic Patrols

Four Russian strategic bombers are carrying out a routine patrol over the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, a Russian Air Force spokesman said on Wednesday.

"Four Tu-95MS [Bear] strategic bombers based at the Ukrainka airfield in the Amur Region [in the Far East] are conducting a routine 14-hour patrol flight over the Arctic and Atlantic oceans," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said, adding that the bombers are accompanied by NATO fighters.

"During the flights the crews develop their flying skills in northern latitudes, over featureless territory. The patrol crews include young pilots," he said.

Drik reiterated that all Russian strategic patrols are performed in strict accordance with international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states.

Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by former president Vladimir Putin. Russian bombers have since carried out over 80 strategic patrol flights and have often been escorted by NATO planes.

Air Force commander, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said in April that Russia would drastically increase the number of strategic patrol flights over the world's oceans to 20-30 a month in the near future.

The international focus on the Arctic is rising due to potential large deposits of natural resources, including oil and natural gas, which are rapidly decreasing on more available parts of the Earth.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Bombers Back From 12-hour Patrol Over Arctic, Atlantic

Two Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers have completed a patrol mission over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic, a Russian Air Force spokesman said Friday.

"The patrol flight of the strategic missile-carrying aircraft lasted about 12 hours," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said, adding that during the flight they had been shadowed by two F-16 fighters from one of the NATO countries.

He reiterated that all Russian strategic patrols are performed in strict accordance with international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states.

Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by then-President Vladimir Putin. Russian bombers have since carried out more than 80 strategic patrol flights and have often been escorted by NATO planes.

Air Force commander Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said in April that Russia would drastically increase the number of strategic patrol flights over the world's oceans to 20-30 a month in the near future.

International focus on the Arctic is rising due to the presence of potentially large deposits of natural resources, including oil and natural gas, which are rapidly being exhausted in more accessible parts of the Earth.

[vector7]

		Russia
		Russian strategic bombers to join military drills with Belarus
		16:25 | 22/ 09/ 2008

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080922/117021293.html

MOSCOW, September 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russian strategic bombers will conduct practice launches of various types of missiles on October 6-12 during large-scale Russia-Belarus military exercises which started Monday, the Air Force commander said. (Russian strategic bombers - Image gallery)

The Stability-2008 exercises will last until October 21 in various regions of Russia and Belarus with the goal of practicing strategic deployment of the Armed Forces, including the nuclear triad, to counter potential threats near the Russian border. "The exercise will involve the majority of personnel and strategic aircraft in service with strategic aviation," Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said. "The crews will deploy the entire range of on-board weaponry."

According to various sources, the Russian Air Force currently has in service at least 141 Tu-22M3 Backfire-C, 40 Tu-95 Bear-H and 16 modernized Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers.

The bombers carry long-range cruise missiles and short-range nuclear missiles as primary weaponry.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed the need to continue the development of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces, including its airborne component, and said they should be able to respond promptly and effectively to any aggression.

The Russian Air Force combat training program has scheduled more than 200 exercises with 350 live firing drills for the second half of 2008.

[vector7]

A Russian nuclear bomber managed to get within 90 seconds of Hull in a mock attack as RAF radars failed to pick it up.

By Jessica Salter
Last Updated: 1:33PM BST 30 Sep 2008



The supersonic Blackjack changed course 20 miles from UK airspace, it has been reported.

The jet was picked up on RAF radars but only after it had turned back.

Critics of the Government’s cuts in defence spending say that they have left the country at risk. Four years ago four squadrons of Jaguar and Tornado F3 fighters were slashed from the RAF’s books.

In January it emerged that the Ministry of Defence will have to cut its budget by an extra £1.5 billion a year over the next three years, leaving the three armed forces vying with each other for the money.

The RAF is also expected to lose two of its frontline Tornado GR4 ground attack squadrons as part of cuts to existing forces.

A senior RAF pilot told The Sun: “The Russians made us look helpless. The Blackjack could have got even closer. It was a disaster — it basically gave the Russians the green light to fly wherever they want.”

Ministry of Defence officials confirmed the incident, but said the RAF had a “multilayered” approach to detecting and deterring enemy jets.

A spokesman said in a statement: “We are satisfied we have the flexibility to launch as many aircraft as the situation requires.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...s-of-Hull.html

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia's Strategic Bombers To Drill With Full Combat Payloads

Russian strategic bombers will conduct training flights with full combat payloads and live fire all cruise missiles on board for the first time in over two decades, an Air Force spokesman said.

The live firing exercises in Russia's northern latitudes on October 6-12 are part of the Stability-2008 strategic maneuvers in various regions of Russia and Belarus with the goal of practicing strategic deployment of the Armed Forces, including the nuclear triad, to counter potential threats near the Russian border.

"During these exercises, for the first time in many years, the crews of Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers will fly missions carrying the maximum combat payload and fire all the cruise missiles on board," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said.

Tu-95MS and Tu-160 aircraft can carry six and 12 Kh-55 (AS-15 Kent) long-range cruise missiles respectively.

Drik said that the scope of the exercises would be unprecedented and involve, apart from the Tu-160s and Tu-95s, the Tu-22M3 Backfire strategic bombers, air superiority fighters, interceptors and aerial tankers.

"The number and variety of aircraft involved in the drills shows the wide range of tasks that will be accomplished during the week-long exercise," the spokesman said.

Former Air Force commander, General of the Army Pyotr Deynekin, said Russian Tu-95 bombers had conducted live firing of all their cruise missiles only once before, in 1984.

"Tu-160 bombers have never done this because it is very expensive," the general said.

According to various sources, in addition to 16 Tu-160 bombers the Russian Air Force currently has 40 Tu-95MS bombers and 141 Tu-22M3 bombers in service.

[vector7]

From Times Online
October 6, 2008
Russia to test fire cruise missiles for first time since 1984


Russian Bear bombers will be involved in the live firing exercise

Tony Halpin in Moscow

Russia began the most ambitious test of its strategic bomber fleet in almost a quarter of a century today.

Up to 20 bombers are being sent into the air with full combat payloads to carry out live firing exercises of their cruise missiles. It is the largest display of Russian air power since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Officials said that the bomber runs would test Russia's readiness to deploy its nuclear deterrent. The week-long drill, part of a broader military exercise codenamed Stability-2008, takes place against the background of heightened tensions with the West after Russia's war with Georgia in August.

"During these exercises, for the first time in many years, the crews of Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers will fly missions carrying the maximum combat payload and fire all the cruise missiles on board," Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Drik told RIA-Novosti news agency.

Related Links

• Russia's warships in Venezuelan exercise

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• EU moves into Georgia flashpoints

The flights involve more than a third of Russia's combined fleet of Bear bombers and Blackjack supersonic aircraft. The Air Force is stepping up its combat training regime, scheduling 350 live-firing drills for the second half of this year. Lieutenant Colonel Drik said that the latest exercises in Russia's northern regions were unprecedented in scope and would also involve Tu-22M3 Backfire strategic bombers, fighter jets, and interceptor aircraft.

A former Air Force commander, General of the Army Pyotr Deynekin, said that Bear bombers had carried out live-firing tests of their entire cruise missile capabilities only once before, in 1984, at the height of the Cold War. Blackjack bombers had never previously conducted such tests because it was too expensive, he said.

The bombers will fire their missiles at targets located on a training range, Lieutenant Colonel Drik said. The goal was to "exercise the strategic nuclear deterrence during the exercises".

The Stability-2008 manoeuvres, conducted jointly with neighbouring Belarus, are being watched closely by Western military analysts as Russia flexes its muscles across the globe. Nato fighter jets have repeatedly scrambled to shadow Bear bombers flying close to European and US airspace in the past year after Vladimir Putin ordered round-the-clock patrols to resume for the first time in 15 years.

In a move that threatens a re-run of the 1962 missile crisis, Russia's military has recently talked up the prospect of opening a base in Cuba for its strategic nuclear bombers as a response to the setting up of America's anti-missile shield in eastern Europe. Two Blackjack aircraft landed in Venezuela last month for the first time in what its anti-American president Hugo Chavez called a "warning" to the US.

The Kremlin has also ordered its nuclear-powered warship Peter the Great and a submarine destroyer, Admiral Chabanenko, to take part in war games in the Caribbean with Venezuela, Russia's first naval mission to Latin America since the Cold War ended.

In a calculated show of defiance to Nato, the vessels passed through the Strait of Gibraltar at the weekend in only the second Russian naval deployment in the waterway since the Cold War. They were en route to Libya and Syria, both traditional ports of call for Soviet warships.

Russian marines practised landings under fire at the weekend in exercises on the country's Far East coast as part of Stability-2008. Ships and submarines from the Russian Pacific Fleet, backed by air support, also took part in the engagement.

Russia says that the month-long large-scale military exercises, which continue until October 21, are intended to rehearse strategic deployment of its armed forces, including the "nuclear triad" of air, sea and ground missiles.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle4891656.ece

[vector7]

Russian live missile fire air exercise near Alaska
DEBKAfile Special Report
October 4, 2008



Not since 1984, just before the fall of the Soviet Union, has Russia ventured to launch dozens of nuclear bombers for an exercise in which Tu-95 Bear bombers will fire live cruise missiles. Exercise Stability 2008 will take place Oct.-6-12 over sub-Arctic Russia uncomfortably close to the US state of Alaska, and Belarus.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the exercise is part of a month-long war game described by Russian air force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik as “practicing the strategic deployment of the armed forces including the nuclear triad.”

As part of the exercise, our sources reported exclusively on Oct. 1, that Russian ships armed with nuclear missiles will dock at Syrian ports Oct. 8, on the eve of Yom Kippur, before continuing to the Caribbean for joint maneuvers with Venezuela.

More than 60,000 troops and 1.500 tanks and APCs, as well as land-based and submarine-launched nuclear missiles, were tested in the first phase of the war games.

(“Nuclear triad” refers to three tiers of a national nuclear arsenal, usually strategic bombers armed with bombs or missiles, land-based missiles and ballistic missile submarines. These weapons must have a first- or second-strike capability.)

Col. Drik stressed that the Tu-95 and Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers will “carry their maximum combat payload and fire all the cruise missiles on board.” Also taking part in the air force exercise are Tu-22M3 Backfire strategic bombers, air superiority fighters, interceptors and aerial tankers.
The locations of the war games were deliberately chosen to underline three messages from Moscow to Washington:

1. Russian leaders are willing to brandish their nuclear strength in America’s face - to the north (Arctic) and south (Caribbean) – to challenge America’s position as the world’s No. 1 superpower.

2. Russia is powerful and rich enough to rise above the shockwaves rocking the world’s financial markets while carrying on developing its military muscle and expanding its spheres of influence.

3. By docking at the Syrian port of Tartus, the Peter the Great nuclear missile cruiser is Moscow’s marker on the Mediterranean to betoken the end of US Sixth Fleet’s sway. Last week, the Russian Navy united its Black Sea and Mediterranean fleet commands.

Friday, Oct. 3, Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, announced that 20,000 kilometers of the Russian border passes through the Arctic. Moscow therefore claims 18 percent of its territory and is preparing a plan to implement this policy.

Laying down an earlier marker, the Russian nuclear powered submarine Ryazan docked at the Kamchatka Peninsula Sept. 30, after completing a one-month voyage under the Arctic Ocean without surfacing. The Project 667BDR Delta III class strategic nuclear submarine with a crew of 130 is armed with sixteen R-29RM (SS-N-23 Skiff) ballistic missiles with a range of 8,000 km.

Russian Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky welcoming the Ryazan’s arrival said: “The navy continues to play an important role in safeguarding Russia’s maritime economic and research activity throughout the world, including in the Arctic.”

Laying down these markers and challenges is clearly the prelude for Moscow’s presentation of political demands and an enhanced role as global player.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that, for now, Russia’s air and naval strength does not match America’s military might. However, although Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stated emphatically last week that there is no cold war or any other war with America, Moscow’s actions tell a different story.

In addition to their demonstrations of air and naval strength, the Russians have more than doubled their military spending on armaments – especially to upgrade and modernize their navy.

http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1360

[American Patriot]

Last message already posted, got it's own thread.

[vector7]

Brilliant minds think alike

[American Patriot]

Haha.

[vector7]

Russian Bombers Intercepted By Japanese Fighter Jets

By Sebastian Alison


Japan scrambled four F-15 fighters to intercept Russian Su-27 bombers over the Sea of Japan

Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Russian strategic bombers flying over the Sea of Japan were intercepted by Japanese fighter jets on two occasions today before returning to base.

The two Tu-22M3 strategic bombers left an air base in Russia's Far East as part of a training exercise, Stability 2008, Russian Air Force spokesman Vladimir Drik said by telephone in Moscow. As they flew over the Sea of Japan they were ``accompanied'' for about 30 minutes by two Japanese F-15 fighter jets, he said.

Later, Japanese F-15 jets from a different air base flew alongside the two bombers for about four minutes before the bombers returned to Russian territory, Drik said. Agence France- Presse reported, citing a Japanese Defense Ministry official, that Japan scrambled six jets after the Russian planes came close to Japanese airspace.

The air-force exercises are Russia's largest since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, while a naval convoy on its way to Venezuela is staging a show of strength in the Mediterranean.

``The message of this is very clear: Russia's military can project its power worldwide,'' Jan Techau, a security affairs and European analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, said in an interview. ``It's part of a systematic plan to win back Russian military prestige.''

Aircraft including supersonic Tu-160 nuclear bombers and strategic Tu-95 bombers are taking part in the Oct. 6-12 maneuvers in the Russian Far East bordering China and the U.S. state of Alaska and in the Volga region, the Defense Ministry said on Oct. 2.

Japan's a `Target'
``Japan is a target because it's a close ally of the U.S. and has built up its armed forces in recent years,'' Techau said.

Russia has resumed the practice of sending strategic bombers to patrol airspace near its neighbors as it asserts its power after a decade of oil-fueled growth. Since the conflict with U.S. ally Georgia in August, Russia has dispatched long- range bombers to Venezuela and warships are heading to the Western Hemisphere for the first time since the Cold War.

A Japanese Ministry of Defense report published on Sept. 5 said Russia had stepped up military training and surveillance activities in the Asia-Pacific region over the last year and that this development required close attention.

``After a decline in training exercises, Russia's military has been picking up the pace of its activities again,'' the 2008 Defense White Paper said. ``In the country's Far East, its strategic nuclear forces remain in a state of alert. These are trends that require close monitoring.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...DZo&refer=home

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Strategic Bombers Fly Near Alaska On Routine Patrol

January 28 (RIA Novosti) - A pair of Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers have carried out a routine patrol flight over the Arctic Ocean off Alaska, an Air Force spokesman said on Wednesday.

"Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers took off from an airbase in eastern Russia on Tuesday and successfully carried out a patrol mission over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean and near Alaska," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik told RIA Novosti.

The spokesman said that during the 10-hour mission, the crews practiced instrumental flight maneuvers in arctic climate conditions.

"On route, the bombers were accompanied for 10 minutes by four USAF F-15 Eagle fighters," Drik added.

Russia resumed regular strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans in August 2007, following an order signed by then-president Vladimir Putin.

All flights by Russian aircraft are performed in strict compliance with international law on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Strategic Bombers Fly Over Arctic Ocean On Routine Patrol

February 12 (RIA Novosti) - Two Russian Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers have carried out a routine patrol flight over the Arctic Ocean, an Air Force spokesman said on Thursday.

"Their route crossed the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean towards the Aleutian Islands, and the flight lasted for 12 hours," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said. The flight took place on Wednesday.

The crews honed their instrumental flight skills and accomplished several other tasks, including in-flight refueling.

The bombers were shadowed by U.S. F-15 Eagle fighters, the spokesman added. The shadowing of Russian warplanes by NATO fighters has been common practice since Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans in August 2007.

The spokesman reiterated that all Russian strategic patrols are performed in strict accordance with international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states.

[Ryan Ruck]

Canada 'Turns Back Russia Bomber'

Canadian air force jets intercepted a Russian bomber approaching Canadian air space the day before President Barack Obama visited Ottawa, officials say.

Two fighter jets met the long-range Bear bomber over the Arctic last week, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said.

The Russian plane turned around after being signalled by the Canadian pilots, he said.

There has been an increasing number of similar Russian flights in the Arctic in recent years, Mr MacKay said.

The Canadian jets "met a Russian aircraft that was approaching Canadian airspace. They sent very clear signals that the Russian aircraft was to turn around - turn tail - to its own airspace, which it did," Mr MacKay told reporters after meeting North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) officers in Ottawa.

He said he did not know if the flight was deliberately timed for when Canadian security efforts were focused on Mr Obama's upcoming visit to Ottawa.

"I'm not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit, but it was a strong coincidence," he said of the 18 February flight.

Mr Obama visited Ottawa the next day.

An official at the Russian embassy in Ottawa said he did not think the flight had anything to do with Mr Obama's visit.

"Americans have routine flights. Russians do, different Europeans do," he was quoted as saying by Associated Press news agency.

"The routine is there. All the sides are generally informed."

Mr MacKay said Russia had refused Canada's requests for advance notification of such flights.

Arctic Claims

Russian aircraft regularly probed North American airspace during the Cold War, but such flights ended after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Activity has picked up lately however, Mr MacKay said.

"It began just a few years ago when then-President Putin... [said] Russia was going to take a more active role in asserting itself. That apparently includes coming close to and up to Canadian airspace."

Moscow has claimed a large portion of the Arctic Ocean seabed and used a mini-submarine to plant a flag on the ocean floor under the North Pole two years ago.

Canada, along with the US, Norway and Denmark, also have Arctic claims. The area is believed to be rich in natural resources.

Russian bombers have also overflown American naval vessels and last year Tokyo complained that a Russian bomber had entered Japanese airspace.

[Ryan Ruck]

NORAD Visually Identifies 2 Russian Bombers Near Northwest Territories

February 27, 2009

North American Aerospace Defense Command launched fighter aircraft Feb. 18 and visually identified two Russian TU-95 Bear bomber aircraft approximately 190 kilometers northeast of Tuktoyuktuk, Northwest Territories. This response included two CF-18 Hornet fighter aircraft from 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada as well as two F-15 Eagle aircraft from the Alaskan NORAD Region. The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace at all times and never entered sovereign Canadian or American airspace.

All aircraft involved in the visual identification returned to base without incident.

This was a professional response by Canadian and American NORAD pilots and operators. It highlights the close, working relationship Canada and the United States have maintained through NORAD for over 50 years.

NORAD will respond to any unidentified aircraft approaching North American airspace. Russian flights, just like any other, will be visually identified in accordance with standard procedures. NORAD carefully monitors all air activities in the North and considers all options to ensure fulfillment of our air sovereignty responsibility to Canada and the United States.

NORAD uses an identification process that is well established and proven to be very effective. If an aircraft approaches North America, NORAD will detect the object by radar. NORAD will attempt to identify the object through a variety of mechanisms including correlation with flight plans, communication and transponder interrogation. If these methods fail, NORAD may launch aircraft to visually identify the unknown object and assess its intentions.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a bi-national United States and Canadian organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. Aerospace warning includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands. Aerospace control includes ensuring air sovereignty and air defense of the airspace of Canada and the United States. The May 2006 NORAD Agreement renewal added a maritime warning mission, which entails a shared awareness and understanding of the activities conducted in U.S. and Canadian maritime approaches, maritime areas and inland waterways.

[Ryan Ruck]

Canada 'Turns Back Russia Bomber'

2/27/2009

Canadian air force jets intercepted a Russian bomber approaching Canadian air space the day before President Barack Obama visited Ottawa, officials say.

Two fighter jets met the long-range Bear bomber over the Arctic last week, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said.

The Russian plane turned around after being signalled by the Canadian pilots, he said.

There has been an increasing number of similar Russian flights in the Arctic in recent years, Mr MacKay said.

The Canadian jets "met a Russian aircraft that was approaching Canadian airspace. They sent very clear signals that the Russian aircraft was to turn around - turn tail - to its own airspace, which it did," Mr MacKay told reporters after meeting North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) officers in Ottawa.

He said he did not know if the flight was deliberately timed for when Canadian security efforts were focused on Mr Obama's upcoming visit to Ottawa.

"I'm not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit, but it was a strong coincidence," he said of the 18 February flight.

Mr Obama visited Ottawa the next day.

An official at the Russian embassy in Ottawa said he did not think the flight had anything to do with Mr Obama's visit.

"Americans have routine flights. Russians do, different Europeans do," he was quoted as saying by Associated Press news agency.

"The routine is there. All the sides are generally informed."

Mr MacKay said Russia had refused Canada's requests for advance notification of such flights.

Arctic claims

Russian aircraft regularly probed North American airspace during the Cold War, but such flights ended after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Activity has picked up lately however, Mr MacKay said.

"It began just a few years ago when then-President Putin... [said] Russia was going to take a more active role in asserting itself. That apparently includes coming close to and up to Canadian airspace."

Moscow has claimed a large portion of the Arctic Ocean seabed and used a mini-submarine to plant a flag on the ocean floor under the North Pole two years ago.

Canada, along with the US, Norway and Denmark, also have Arctic claims. The area is believed to be rich in natural resources.

Russian bombers have also overflown American naval vessels and last year Tokyo complained that a Russian bomber had entered Japanese airspace.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Air Force Starts 4-Day Exercise North Of Arctic Circle

3/19/2009

The Russian Air Force has launched a four-day exercise near the city of Vorkuta, north of the Arctic Circle, a spokesman said on Thursday.

Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95 Bear-H strategic bombers were test launching cruise missiles and dropping precision guided bombs at the Pemboi test range.

He did not say what types of missiles were involved, but a Russian deputy defense minister previously said a new long-range missile would soon enter service with the Air Force.

The launches are part of a command-and-staff exercises supervised by Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov, long-range aviation commander, and are due to last until March 20.

Drik said a total of six warplanes were taking part in the drills.

[Ryan Ruck]

Canada Asks Russia For Training-Mission Notice

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said he has asked the Russian government to start notifying Ottawa before sending bombers on training missions that approach Canada's borders and trigger intercepts by NORAD jets – saying he is puzzled as to what Moscow's ultimate goal is here.

"I do sometimes wonder why the Russians would want to spend so much fuel to fly up to our borders," Mr. Cannon told reporters Thursday. "I don't have an answer on that."

Arctic security experts say Norway is asking the same questions about other military operations the Russians have resumed in recent years – patrols that follow old Cold War routes in the air and at sea.

"The Norwegians are making the same points," said Rob Huebert, associate director of the University of Calgary's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies. "Officially they are not concerned about the Russians resuming surface fleet operations in the disputed maritime zones. Unofficially they are of course very concerned about why the Russians are now doing this."

Mr. Cannon met his Russian counterpart, Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, at The Hague last week, only days after the Conservative minister vowed that Canada "will not be bullied" into ceding sovereignty in the North even as Moscow plans special armed forces for the Arctic.

He said the Russians told him they plan to continue Arctic-region military training, adding he also asked Mr. Lavrov for a heads-up in the future. "I have indicated that I would hope we get advance notice from the Russians when they do anything."

A senior official at the Russian embassy in Canada said Ottawa would have to officially propose a treaty on advance notification for Moscow to consider such a request.

"That's the normal procedure. If it is officially done, the process starts," Vladimir Lapshin said, noting the United States and Russia already have a joint notification treaty.

He said Russia has expanded military operations because it can now afford to do so. The steep climb in oil prices in recent years – now subsided – flooded petroleum-rich Russia's coffers with additional revenue.

Mr. Lapshin explained that the only reason Russia stopped Arctic military exercises after the Cold War ended was that it ran out of money for a time.

"We didn't have fuel for several years, neither for tanks or aircrafts or anything. The submarines didn't sail. The aircrafts didn't fly," he said.

Canada has seen relations with Russia strained as Moscow more aggressively asserts claims in the disputed Arctic. Global warming is shrinking polar ice and allowing greater access to an area believed to contain big undiscovered reserves of oil and gas.

In February, Prime Minister Stephen Harper rebuked Russia for resuming military training flights that approach Canadian airspace, calling these incursions. In response, Russia dispatched an envoy to tell Canadian MPs that Ottawa was overreacting and unfairly reviving Cold War rhetoric.

Mr. Cannon said Mr. Lavrov assured him Moscow will respect United Nations rules for claiming seabed rights. Mr. Huebert said Arctic relations will be put to the test if Russia's and Canada's claims overlap.