Tweaking the tail of the dragon before the summit in Switzerland?
Merkel got a dog - Biden gets bombers…..
I wonder where the Bears staged out of….
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/...m-report-says/
Russian Navy west of Hawaii prompted F-22 fighter launch from Hickam, report says
The Russian Navy is edging closer to Hawaii with a big exercise 300 to 500 miles west of the Aloha State — prompting the Air Force to scramble three missile-armed F-22 fighters on Sunday, CBS News reported Tuesday.
Russian officials said it is the largest exercise in the Pacific since the end of the Cold War and involves surface ships, anti-submarine aircraft and long-range bombers, the news outlet said.
Citing U.S. defense officials, CBS said the United States scrambled the F-22s from Hawaii on Sunday in response to Russian bomber flights, but the aircraft did not enter the Air Defense Identification Zone and were not intercepted.
“At the same time, officials said a U.S, carrier strike group headed by the USS (Carl) Vinson is operating about 200 miles east of Hawaii, conducting a strike group certification exercise,” CBS said. “The exercise had been planned but was moved closer to Hawaii in response to the Russian exercise.”
CBS noted the Russian exercise comes ahead of a meeting between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin…..
Officials on Monday would not disclose why the three missile-armed Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 fighters were scrambled Sunday afternoon for an “irregular air patrol” requested by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The 154th Fighter Wing launched two F-22 Raptors from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at approximately 4 p.m.,” Pacific Air Forces said in an email. “A third was launched at approximately 5 p.m.”
The Hickam-based Air Force command added that the FAA requested that U.S. Indo-Pacific Command “conduct an irregular air patrol and the situation resolved, prompting the fighters and a KC-135 Stratotanker (a refueling plane) to return to base. We cannot discuss further specifics of the situation.”……
The FAA was equally cryptic: “We have a close working relationship with the military,” spokesman Ian Gregor said in an email in response to a query asking why the military jets were requested.