Thread: Russian aircraft buzz USS Kitty Hawk

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

" Or blame no one, there was, and is no need for 24 hour air coverage."

Had that russkie flanker dropped a tactical nuke on the carrier a lot of people would no doubt feel differently....

Or maybe its like the Russians have some kinda secret laser on their Flankers that goes ZAP! And all electronic computer systems aboard the Carrier – weaponry / communication / navigation, etc. get jammed or bugged via laser-microwave emissions from the Flankers rendering them improperly functional for the next 5 – 10 years with no one even knowing anything !

Would be like something straight out of Frederick Forsythe, but strikingly possible.

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

Had that russkie flanker dropped a tactical nuke on the carrier a lot of people would no doubt feel differently....

Of course we didn't 'need' 24/7 air coverage over pearl in Dec 41 either, right?

Give up the 10 foot tall Russian Boogieman. The Soviet Union had been dead for 9 years when this incident took place. Where was the threat?

All a Tac Nuke on the Shitty Kitty would have caused is a large smoking hole where Red Square use to be. And the Russians know that.

Originally Posted by leibstandarte10

Yeah, a lot of good a Prowler will do against a Flanker.

I doubt a EA-6 was actually launched. But if it happened and she wanted to get nasty, then with a flick of a switch, or two, she could have fried every piece of electronic gear on that Flanker.

Originally Posted by Gun Grape

Give up the 10 foot tall Russian Boogieman. The Soviet Union had been dead for 9 years when this incident took place. Where was the threat?

All a Tac Nuke on the Shitty Kitty would have caused is a large smoking hole where Red Square use to be. And the Russians know that.

The Russians always knew that would be our response, yet we came VERY close to total war with them on three separate occasions, including one that W.Clark almost instigated that was a long time after 'the bear died'.

I find it interesting that a power with literally thousands of nuclear devices could be considered 'dead'.

The Bear is only as 'dead' as the next coup attempt.

Originally Posted by Gun Grape

I doubt a EA-6 was actually launched. But if it happened and she wanted to get nasty, then with a flick of a switch, or two, she could have fried every piece of electronic gear on that Flanker.

Highly unlikely. A Prowler can to nothing to Flankers hardy electronics. Su-30 is adapted for adverse weather conditions and severe jamming environment, both by day and night. Flankers are able to perform covert "radar-silenced" approach and automatic location of the target, data exchange capability with ground/shipborne/seashore command posts for information gathering. Most probably this is what the Flankers actually did. It wouldn't be some flamboyant Flanker pilot doing a low fly pass over a US Carrier a la Topgun just for the fun of it, neither were the Russians trying to stalk the Americans like the days of the Cold War. They must have been actually given the order to go and collect recon. data.

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

The Russians always knew that would be our response, yet we came VERY close to total war with them on three separate occasions, including one that W.Clark almost instigated that was a long time after 'the bear died'.

I find it interesting that a power with literally thousands of nuclear devices could be considered 'dead'.

The Bear is only as 'dead' as the next coup attempt.

Until the Russian system recognizes individual rights, this is unfortunately true. More than most know.
What is clear, and reassuring, is that Russians, and Soviets before, are not really 10 feet tall.

I never said i was afraid of them. I just want my country's military to be READY for them.

It only seems prudent to me...

Originally Posted by Captain Drunk

Highly unlikely. A Prowler can to nothing to Flankers hardy electronics. Su-30 is adapted for adverse weather conditions and severe jamming environment, both by day and night. Flankers are able to perform covert "radar-silenced" approach and automatic location of the target, data exchange capability with ground/shipborne/seashore command posts for information gathering. Most probably this is what the Flankers actually did. It wouldn't be some flamboyant Flanker pilot doing a low fly pass over a US Carrier a la Topgun just for the fun of it, neither were the Russians trying to stalk the Americans like the days of the Cold War. They must have been actually given the order to go and collect recon. data.

You havn't seen the EA-6 in action

And why would they want to go collect data on that old bucket? Just have the local Russian spy in Japan go to Yokosuka and take a tour. He/she can even pose as a local national. If shes hot looking, the squid guide might even let her sit in the cockpit of a Hornet

During UnRep all the cool systems would be powered down, so no good SigInt. You guys trying to figure out how to master the art of Unrep?

Originally Posted by Gun Grape

You havn't seen the EA-6 in action

And why would they want to go collect data on that old bucket? Just have the local Russian spy in Japan go to Yokosuka and take a tour. He/she can even pose as a local national. If shes hot looking, the squid guide might even let her sit in the cockpit of a Hornet

During UnRep all the cool systems would be powered down, so no good SigInt. You guys trying to figure out how to master the art of Unrep?

Good to see you respect the professionalism of USN pilots. And they were probably doing it for combined reasons of propaganda (things like this ruffle a lot of feathers), intel (even if it's not a big opportunity surely they would have liked to take advantage) and perhaps practice, as a means of really seeing for themselves if their planes can penetrate a CBG in the right circumstances.
Those reasons, and of course, bragging rights for the pilots.

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

" Or blame no one, there was, and is no need for 24 hour air coverage."

Had that russkie flanker dropped a tactical nuke on the carrier a lot of people would no doubt feel differently....

Of course we didn't 'need' 24/7 air coverage over pearl in Dec 41 either, right?

I think the point hes making is the carrier knew the migs where there and even if they had tracked the migs incoming straight at the carrier they likely still would have done nothing. Given present politics Russian migs are not considered a serious threat.

If the political climate was such that the migs were carrying tactical nukes and willing to use them this would not have happened.

Originally Posted by canoe

I think the point hes making is the carrier knew the migs where there and even if they had tracked the migs incoming straight at the carrier they likely still would have done nothing. Given present politics Russian migs are not considered a serious threat.

If the political climate was such that the migs were carrying tactical nukes and willing to use them this would not have happened.

Yeah I'd like to think that the CIA would have a rough idea as to whether or not the Russian Miliatry were planning to committ hari-kari by nuking CBG, just like the FSB would probably have some suspicions as to whether or not the US Military were considering signing their own death warrants by nuking a Russian AF Base.

If Russians want to nuke a CBG, they will have much bigger problems than anything that a carrier would do, even if it were carrying it's cold war warload of 100 nukes by many accounts.
It was an airshow, like the "cobra" maneuver.
Useless in any high tension scenario because that window would not be open, and all self defense systems would be set on auto. BUT, the Kitty Hawk was caught at a point of vulnerability, and that is not wrong to recognize.

If im a russian military planner trying to make a surprise offensive work i know im going to go after the carriers immediately and im going to make it look as much like a 'cold war buzz' as i can until it's too late.

Sorry. I don't like taking chances like that. Until you VID a threat you have no idea what he's packing.

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

If im a russian military planner trying to make a surprise offensive work i know im going to go after the carriers immediately and im going to make it look as much like a 'cold war buzz' as i can until it's too late.

Sorry. I don't like taking chances like that. Until you VID a threat you have no idea what he's packing.

But no amount of surprise can compensate for the fact that the Russians simply cannot defeat the USA in a conventional war. Indeed, the Federation would have nothing to gain from trying, and everything to lose.