Enough to put the wind up any P-8 driver

[tor lives]

I reckon this would have put the wind right up these P-8 drivers.

http://news.sky.com/story/1323269/chine ... r-us-plane

Hope they have good dry cleaners (for their flying suites) back at base

TOR

[hrtpaul]

Didn't these dickheads learn from last time with the P-3

[Adam the Akrodude]

USN has given plenty of Russkie Bears plenty of scares over the years and read recently of RAF Lightnings zooming under Bears at night in full burner and going vertical right in front of them. Amazing really that there haven't been more mid-airs over the years. There was of course that collision between a Norwegian Elint P-3 and a Russkie Suk a few years ago - one tail of the big Suk hitting a prop of the P-3 causing big issues.



It can happen to civvie pilots too.

I once met a guy called Mark Jefferies in the UK at his Yak UK business just outside of Bedford in the UK. Mark is a very talented competition aerobatics pilot and multi-UK champion. As part of his business, he was once ferrying a L-29 jet trainer, got into strife and was intercepted by a Suk and was detained for a few days. I sure would have needed my flight suit hosed out after such a event!

http://markjefferiesairdisplays.com/2012/01/mark-jefferies-international-air-display-and-aerobatic-pilot/

I expect we'll see a lot more of this in this region. Chinese are showing a great deal more assertiveness patrolling their ADIZ's. Those Elint crews have massive brass ones in my opinion. Unsung heroes of the Cold War and whatever you call what is going on now up there - The East China Sea Tango?

Sure ain't singing around a campfire together singing Kum Ba Yah!

Score is 1:0 in favour of the USN in P-3 versus Chinese fighter intercepts. Chinese may still be pretty sore about this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainan_Island_incident

[Adam the Akrodude]

Found this interesting document commemorating the 90 US crews who have perished conducting Elint missions since 1945. Certainly unsung heroes who gave their all to keep the peace.

http://www.nsa.gov/about/_files/cryptologic_heritage/publications/coldwar/dangerous_business.pdf

[_BlackHawk_]

I wouldn't worry too much about those intercepts. It's pretty routine stuff for the most part and both sides do it. Even if someone got trigger happy and corked off a round that found its mark, no one goes to war over one plane being shot down. The aircraft shot down during The Cold War had the effect of teaching both sides just how far they could push the shooting without actually nuking each other and as it turns out, a plane load of military personal is not worth blowing everyone up.

They still should arm the P-8's though.

[Adam the Akrodude]

I wouldn't worry too much about those intercepts. It's pretty routine stuff for the most part and both sides do it. Even if someone got trigger happy and corked off a round that found its mark, no one goes to war over one plane being shot down. The aircraft shot down during The Cold War had the effect of teaching both sides just how far they could push the shooting without actually nuking each other and as it turns out, a plane load of military personal is not worth blowing everyone up.

They still should arm the P-8's though.

I think you are viewing this in a pretty black and white fashion. I for one (bet I'm not alone in this thinking either) certainly don't think the potential loss of something like a P-8 would start a all out nuclear war. There are many "shades of grey" responses - just like we are seeing happen with the Russkies over MH17. Russia has had pretty heavy economic sanctions imposed on it and has imposed it's own import restrictions on western countries as a response. Bullets aren't flying, but there is a pretty heavy economic effect as result of the MH17 shoot down. Should something like this happen out in the East China Sea or S.E China Sea, there could very well be a similar response - China of course knows this. Don't piss off your customers China - not a good policy.

I also think a Chinese Suk rolling around a P-8 isn't a routine event. Sure intercepts happen all the time, just not these sort of aerobatics in very close proximity to each other. I think the point is that there is a increase in tensions in this region - disputes over island sovereignty, conflicting ADIZ's and the arms race in general in this region. We will no doubt see a lot more of this. The difference between all the argy-bargy that went on during the Cold War and now is that all our countries are tied together economically - any dispute effects everybody.

[_BlackHawk_]

Countries don't go to war over 1 plane load of people. MH17 is a little different, but still there is no war and it's not the first airliner to be shot down. Sure there is sabre rattling going on but the cold reality is that no one cares about a plane load of dead people. Not enough to start shooting over them at least.

There were more than a few aircraft shot down in the cold war, some even Russian and there was no war. Major Anderson was shot down and killed over Cuba during the missile crisis and still there was no war. Expecting America to go to war over one incident has no historical precedent. In 1915, the sinking of Lusitania wasn't enough to drag the US into the war and before the US entered WW2, there were more than several incidents where US merchant or warships were attacked, detained or confiscated, yet it wasn't enough to drag them into war. The most famous being USS Reuben James that was sunk by U-552 killing over 100 of its crew.

[Adam the Akrodude]

Not sure where your coming from on this one Brad - who here suggested a war over a potential shoot down in this region?

Your comment "...but the cold reality is that no one cares about a plane load of dead people" is based on what evidence?

[_BlackHawk_]

I know you didn't, but it's generally what lots of people think. I think a lot of that fear gets whipped up in the media as tensions are always high between Japan, China and Taiwan. When I say no one cares, obviously some do, but I'm not convinced world leaders really do and if they could get away with ignoring it, they probably would.

[_BlackHawk_]

Do you think they could fit sidewinder or sparrow to the P-8? I'm always in favour of a recon aircraft having a sporting chance in a firefight.