Tension in the Baltic between a Spanish F18 and 2 Russian Sukhoi 27

Moscow claims its fighter jets halted a NATO war plane that was getting too close to its defence minister's aircraft over the Baltic Sea today.

A NATO F-18 fighter tried to approach Sergei Shoigu's jet over international waters before being 'forced away' by two Russian Su-27s, Kremlin news agency TASS reported.

News source

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7352697/amp/Moscow-claims-jets-stopped-NATO-fighter-trying-approach-defence-ministers-aircraft.html

Business as usual:

Yesterday: https://theaviationist.com/2019/08/13/spanish-ef-18-hornet-shadowing-russian-defense-ministers-jet-gets-shooed-away-by-escorting-su-27-flanker/

January: https://theaviationist.com/2019/01/31/video-showing-russian-su-27-flanker-turning-into-a-u-s-air-force-f-15c-emerges/

2017: https://theaviationist.com/2017/06/21/new-video-shows-close-encounter-between-nato-f-16-and-su-27-flanker-escorting-russian-defense-minister-plane-over-the-baltics/

Business as usual:

Yesterday: https://theaviationist.com/2019/08/13/spanish-ef-18-hornet-shadowing-russian-defense-ministers-jet-gets-shooed-away-by-escorting-su-27-flanker/

January: https://theaviationist.com/2019/01/31/video-showing-russian-su-27-flanker-turning-into-a-u-s-air-force-f-15c-emerges/

2017: https://theaviationist.com/2017/06/21/new-video-shows-close-encounter-between-nato-f-16-and-su-27-flanker-escorting-russian-defense-minister-plane-over-the-baltics/

Yes, they enjoy with the war games...

boys will be boys

boys will be boys

That's sexist. You are to serve 100 hours community service at the sex change clinic.

Boys will be boys

Except it's not someone joy-riding in their Dad's Fiat that they've snuck out without their parents' knowing - it's an official multi million dollar aircraft from a State's military, armed with A2A missiles, that can only be there because it was instructed to be there (by NATO ?).

Can you imagine the reaction in the West if an armed Su-35 flew out to intercept an aircraft carrying the US secretary for defence, and in international airspace approached within a few metres ?

You wouldn't need to look on the E.D. forums for the news :-)

that was international airspace and there are rules to be followed. If they are followed then it is nobody's business to criticize.

I didn't criticise, I asked what the reaction would be if ...

"Russian fighter aircraft approach within metres of the US Secretary of Defence's aircraft over the Atlantic !"

… it wouldn't be three sentences at the bottom of a page (or nothing at all on most English speaking media)

The best of this video is the incredible maneouver high yo-yo of the EF-18, and see how the Meteor missiles was adapted to that EF18. I thought only Eurofighter Typhoon could transport them...

This EF18 only act as airborne police in the Baltic, and the su27 were intercepted by carrying the transponders off like always in the last times...

there are many cases of overflow of the airspace but the rules say not to shoot but only to intercept and land the fighter for more ground controls.

The best of this video is the incredible maneouver high yo-yo of the EF-18, and see how the Meteor missiles was adapted to that EF18. I thought only Eurofighter Typhoon could transport them...

This EF18 only act as airborne police in the Baltic, and the su27 were intercepted by carrying the transponders off like always in the last times...

They are not Meteor missiles but IRIS-T.

 

… it wouldn't be three sentences at the bottom of a page (or nothing at all on most English speaking media)

I believe that is exactly how it would play out. The "intruders" would be dealt with, and both sides wouldn't acknowledge it.

The best of this video is the incredible maneouver high yo-yo of the EF-18, and see how the Meteor missiles was adapted to that EF18. I thought only Eurofighter Typhoon could transport them...

This EF18 only act as airborne police in the Baltic, and the su27 were intercepted by carrying the transponders off like always in the last times...

Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen. It’s a multinational missile program :smilewink:

Indeed not available on Hornet.

I believe that is exactly how it would play out. The "intruders" would be dealt with, and both sides wouldn't acknowledge it.

That's a very interesting viewpoint / expectation.

Can I imagine that the US might be more robust in their military response were Russia to perform a similar move - certainly...

Can I imagine that it would stay out of the press - not at all.

Certain elements of the US administration might be happy if that were to happen, but I can't see it not leaking to the press, and there's a lot of banner headline & indignation to be generated from "Russian Fighters recklessly approach Western Aircraft".

You've only got to look at the hyperbole that's written every time a Chinese aircraft approaches one of those poor defenceless P-8 Poseidons while they're minding their own business over the China seas...

the Russians are surrounded on the west side with bases born in Europe on the south side with bases born in India on the east side with bases born in Japan.

the strong points of Russia are the bases in the north and the supremacy in the Arctic territory.

Putin preferred to strengthen the bases north of Russia rather than increase defenses on the border with Europe.

as for space, I don't know, I have little information on Russian space defense.