Originally Posted by
A_Van
AFAIK this was over the Black Sea, wasn't it? If so, what "Uncle Sam's soldiers" were doing there, especially with a strategic bomber? No surprise that "Ivan" was a little bit more tough than usual.
Imagine Tu-160 or -95 in the Gulf of Mexico near the US waters.
Nothing would happen apart from a professional intercept and shadow. No different to the Tu-95s that came down the Californian coast. The Russians would be the first to complain if their aircraft flying in international airspace were being aggressively intercepted and air thumped.
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Absolutely no need for the air thumping manoeuvre when the B-52 was in international airspace. Sadly it is going to take a collision or an in-flight emergency to stop such non-sense.
All this was meant to have been sorted out way back in the 1970s and re-agreed in the late 1990s. Both sides realised that it was getting out of hand and put in place procedures to try and prevent such incidents.
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See following for 1998 agreements.
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It seems to be a fairly regular occurence. The US Navy brought up the agreement for an incident back in May this year where two Russian Su-35s were used to restrict the movement of a P-8 Poseidon over the Mediterranean in international airspace.
For the third time in two months, Russian pilots flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner while intercepting a U.S. Navy P-8A Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft in the U.S. 6th Fleet, May 26, 2020.
On May 26, 2020, a U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft was flying in the Eastern Mediterranean over international waters and was intercepted by two Russian Su-35 aircraft over a period of 65 minutes. The intercept was determined to be unsafe and unprofessional due to the Russian pilots taking close station on each wing of the P-8A simultaneously, restricting the P-8A’s ability to safely maneuver.
The unnecessary actions of the Russian Su-35 pilots were inconsistent with good airmanship and international flight rules, and jeopardized the safety of flight of both aircraft.
While the Russian aircraft was operating in international airspace, this interaction was irresponsible. We expect them to operate within international standards set to ensure safety and to prevent incidents, including the 1972 Agreement for the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA). Actions like these increase the potential for midair collisions.
This incident follows two unsafe interactions in April, over the same waters. In all cases, the U.S. aircraft were operating in international airspace, consistent with international law, with due regard for safety of flight, and did not provoke this Russian activity.
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