Russian bombers buzz U.S. carrier amid exercise
The carrier Ronald Reagan scrambled four armed fighter jets earlier this week to intercept two incoming Russian bombers in a startling low altitude pass by the aircraft carrier.
The TU-142 Bear bombers barreled by at an altitude of 500 feet and within a mile of the flattop, then participating in exercises with the Republic of Korea in international waters in the Sea of Japan. Navy officials said the intercept by the F/A-18 Hornets was standard procedure for aircraft operating near Navy forces.
Navy officials characterized the interactions as safe.
The Reagan Carrier Strike Group attempted to contact the bomber on the radio but the Russians made no answer, said Navy spokesman Cmdr. William Marks in a statement. The Russian fly-by was first reported by Stars and Stripes. Bear bombers have a long-range and are used for reconnaissance, though they can be configured and loaded with cruise missiles and anti-submarine weapons, among other things.
Close encounters between U.S. Navy forces and Russian reconnaissance flights were routine during the Cold War and have reemerged as Russia has reasserted its military might in the wake of the country's 2014 forcible annexation of Crimea. Nations in Europe and Asia have expressed increasing concerns over Russian incursions into their airspace.
The recent uptick in Russian surveillance flights is a signal to the West that they are back in the game after years of low activity, analysts say.
"The Russians are showing that they have the wherewithal to maintain and deploy an aircraft on a long-distance flight," said Bryan Clark, a retired submarine veteran and analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. "That may not sound like a big deal to us since we do it all the time. But for a country that hasn't done that for a while, it's actually a big deal.
"It's a big statement on their part that they are back, that they have restored long-range surveillance capability and, by extension, their long range strike capability."
Russia has been more active on all fronts, causing U.S. Navy leaders to raise the alarm.
In early October, the head of U.S. Navy forces in Europe said the Russians were increasingly pushing their agenda in the Mediterranean.
"They are signaling us and warning us that the maritime domain is contested space," said Adm. Mark Ferguson. "In statements in public they have talked of establishing permanent presence in the Mediterranean, and breaking out from their perceived military encirclement by NATO, economic sanctions and political isolation."
The nuclear-powered Ronald Reagan carries about 5,000 crewmembers and is based at Japan's Yokosuka naval port.
Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow David Larter on Twitter: @DavidLarter