TEEEJ - Thanks for that - I had assumed these were updated original airframes, not new ones. However the principle still applies. You can buy a brand new Royal Enfield motorcycle straight off the production line in India, but it's still basically 1950s technology. Same with these, looking at the interior shots they are hardly fly by wire!

Going back to the current wave of flights, I understand they are coming down the West coast of Ireland, which is, of course, a neutral country. During WW2 the Irish created a corridor to allow Coastal Command aircraft to cut off the "top bit" when transiting from N.I. bases to the patrols in the Atlantic, one of the few concessions the de Valera government made to the UK in what was euphemistically called "The Emergency". I cant imagine Ireland would compromise its neutrality to do something similar now, unless things hotted up, so its "the long way around" from Coningsby for the time being.

The BBC were displaying an admirable level of amnesia today with a story about the latest TU-95 and treating it as if WW3 was about to start and that these flights had never happened before...well not for at least the last 2 weeks.

"Luckily David Cameron was on the TV news tonight, and he assured us that these probing flights just go to prove that the RAF have the pilots and aircraft to deal with the Russians and it's no big deal :)"


Yep, that same numpty that told all the Harrier crews they were being replaced in theatre by Typhoon, the one that canned the MPA capability, the one that has just shutdown Leuchars, the one that doesn't know the difference between cat and trap and STOVL, the one that authorized the early retirement of GR4 without any sensible alternative, the one that has ordered a grand total of 7(?) JSFs to date?


Yes, that's the guy - like tonker said, I'd just love to see it all come home to roost!

Smoketoomuch, have you never seen a Typhoon before, obviously only a pre first flight Corgi:ugh::ugh::ugh:

Shame it's so ugly, so what is on the wingtips ?

I think the Russian news reporter mentioned two Norwegian F-16s at some point. Not sure, but perhaps they were followed by RNoAF QRA jets before being handed off to the RAF.

The news report is tagged "Saratov Oblast." Are these Engels-based Bears?

"Shame it's so ugly, so what is on the wingtips ?"

Components of the DASS subsystem.

From Aviation Images, Burkhard Domke Homepage

http://www.b-domke.de/AviationImages...DASS_10874.jpg

No Meteor 'till 2018 :uhoh:

Ruskies over Cornwall
 

Ref Post 38.

Must be St Mawgan to come back first for sure!

Or will they send up the Classic Airforce?

Give me something to watch on the blue summer days, if they arrive!

Looks like Ivan, was inland..Russian bomber flew inland over Cornwall, witness claims | UK news | The Guardian

TU 95s
 

The Bears are just the annoying ones. Its when the Blackjacks start showing up it gets worrying.

That'll be the tanker Shirley? Check PlaneFinder's playback facility and a Voyager circles over Cornwall.

Fine, just as long as they remember to pay a fiver per pilot Airport Development Fee to Cornwall CC each time they launch.

Who would argue with a Bodmin woman:ouch:

If they have to be shot down, it will be somewhere sensible......
 

Try to catch this before it expires tonight:
The ex-Defence Minister (so he should know his stuff, what!)
BBC iPlayer - Spotlight - 19/02/2015

To those who may know, out of interest, do we ie 'The West', play similar games off the coast and borders of Russian territory?

Given that a '95 could sit somewhere between Iceland and Norway and unleash hell south of the Thames then yes, they probably are 'cocking a snoop'. The rest of it was laced with the usual patronising LD* twaddle.

*one could equally substitute 'patronising CON/LAB twaddle' too.

The BBC has produced this handy guide for Cornish residents.
BBC News - How to spot a Russian bomber

that'll teach to support UKIP.................

Teach who?