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U.S. defense officials say that a Russian fighter jet flew as close as within 3 meters of a US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft in international airspace:
The Pentagon says a Russian fighter plane flew within about 10ft (3m) of one of its reconnaissance aircraft operating over the Black Sea. US officials described the intercept by the SU-27 jet on Wednesday as "dangerous and unprofessional". Russia's defence ministry said the US plane had been approaching Russian territory and the SU-27 pilots had adhered to international rules. Russia is currently carrying out military exercises in the Black Sea.
Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis said the US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft had been conducting routine operations in international airspace when the Russian fighter made the unsafe manoeuvre. "These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions, and could result in a miscalculation or accident," he said. A US defence official quoted by AFP news agency said the Russian plane had flown within 30ft of the P-8A before closing to just 10ft.
Also at Reuters. You may remember this similar incident.
Related: UK Defence Minister: New Cold War "Warming Up"
US Jets Scramble to Intercept Russian Planes near US Aircraft Carrier
(Score: 3, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Thursday September 08 2016, @04:10PM
Good question. I can answer the question, circa 1980, and the Cold War. We routinely provoked each other back then. It was common for us to pull crazy stunts, and they returned the favor, tit for tat.
I can't say WTF today's military is all about. Whining about a close approach like this? FFS - WHINING!! This is what the new gay armed forces is all about? This is what we get for allowing women on the "front lines"? Jesus H. Christ. All the supernatural powers from mankind's mythology have to be turning over in their graves. Mars, Odin, you name one - they'd slap our pussified military down just for being so damned presumptuous.
Good soldiers and sailors have always bitched, but we never whined. "OOOhhhhh, Mommy, the enemy is being BAAAAD!!!"
Excuse me, while I go puke.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @04:14PM
Yeah. If we could only go back to the way it was during the cold war.
That would be great. We'd all be so much more manly!
How are you not voting for Trump?
(Score: 4, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Thursday September 08 2016, @04:20PM
Trump is a weenie. Jill Stein actually has balls. She spray painted some heavy construction equipment yesterday. http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/07/politics/jill-stein-pipeline-protest-trespassing-charges/ [cnn.com]
I'm starting to like her bull dyke haircut too. She looks more manly than either Trump or Clinton. And, that evil grin - she'll keep the Russians guessing!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday September 08 2016, @04:36PM
NumberOfBalls( Trump + VP ) < NumberOfBalls( Hellary + VP )
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday September 08 2016, @04:48PM
Trump + VP = ~1.5, give or take a little bit.
Shrillary + VP = ~1, give or take a little.
Stein has ~1 ball, I think. I don't know about her pick for VP. Ajamu Baraka? Funny looking bastard, of the four-eyed geek variety, kinda brown colored, with a bit of a beard that matches Trump's hair piece. Total balls is an unknown and probably imaginary number.
http://www.jill2016.com/jill_stein_selects_ajamu_baraka_as_vp [jill2016.com]
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @05:33PM
Oh noes!
Runaway is voting for a ball-less muzzie lover. [blackagendareport.com]
Did hell just freeze over?
How are you not voting for Trump?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @05:41PM
I hate to break this to you, but Stein will keep the military gay and feminine.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 08 2016, @07:42PM
On the plus side, they're both in agreement on the question of color, green, so no issues there.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @10:47PM
Wow. +10 to Jill Stein for having principles and taking obvious and semi-risky actions for them. -10 for acting as a presidential candidate should, though.
Imagine what the press would do to Donald Trump for taking such an action, let alone to Hillary Clinton.
I fully think the media is unfairly bias against 3rd party candidates... but with actions like this, I can't help but wonder if we are unfairly bias for them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @11:33PM
> I fully think the media is unfairly bias against 3rd party candidates...
> but with actions like this, I can't help but wonder if we are unfairly bias for them.
The blessing and curse of being a candidate who is not taken seriously is that the press does not pay attention to you.
Another "3rd party" kinda guy, Bernie Sanders, wasn't ignored out of conspiracy, he was ignored because he didn't have enough support to be taken seriously. When he got that support, he got press and scrutiny. Same thing with Stein and Johnson, the later of whom just wilted a bit in the glare of that scrutiny with this Aleppo gaffe.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by tibman on Thursday September 08 2016, @04:42PM
Older military is more racist, sexist, and unprofessional. Newer military does not play these kinds of games anymore (they shouldn't be, anyways). Bunch of idiots flexing muscles at each other. Be serious and take the situation seriously. Anyways, era rivalry is nothing new. WW2 vets looked at Vietnam vets like they were a bunch of whining babies. Vietnam vets look at Iraq/Afghanistan vets like they are whining babies. My theory is that there has always been whining babies.
When an Air Force pilot calls another pilot "unprofessional" this is actually a pretty bad cut-down. Insinuates they don't know their craft and they don't take it seriously. Like "go join a flying circus or something where fucking around is appreciated."
Also, a woman or gay man can shoot you dead just as easy as a straight man. Especially after a thousand hours on the range and a few years of deployments under their belt. Crazy deadly.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 1) by pTamok on Thursday September 08 2016, @05:51PM
Anyone who thinks homosexuals don't belong in military forces don't know their classical history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_the_militaries_of_ancient_Greece [wikipedia.org]
and especially
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Band_of_Thebes [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @06:24PM
The word homosexual didn't even really exist until about a century ago when it was explicitly created to group a large variety of sexual behavior into a single diagnosis of mental disease. Since then our whole concept of sexuality has been forced into this binary paradigm that didn't, and really shouldn't, exist.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @05:02PM
Yes, just boys being boys. Oh, and don't forget these whiners [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday September 08 2016, @08:08PM
It's propaganda for the american public to feed on. It has nothing to do with a "pussified military" and whatnot. Remember, the elections are coming up.
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Thursday September 08 2016, @09:42PM
What you've described can be summarized as the transition from the Cold War (which included some proxy wars) to a public relations war.
In general, though, all the reports of Russian fighters acting aggressively sound to me like cold war tactics. Perhaps they long for the glory days....
Overall, though, they seem to at least have the flying skill to pull it off. I'll change my mind on that if there is ever a collision (like the EP-3 and Chinese jet over Hainan Island), of course.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @10:08PM
> Perhaps they long for the glory days....
It sure seems like that is exactly how Putin feels.
It just occurred to me that his entire reign can be summed up as "Make Russia Great Again!"
And its working out better than Trump could ever do.
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Friday September 09 2016, @02:09AM
Odin wouldn't slap anyone's face without his mother's permission. Diana, Brigid, Artemis might all have something to say about it as well. Hell hath no wrath like that of a woman/goddess scorned.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 3, Funny) by FatPhil on Friday September 09 2016, @07:20AM
Top Gun is not a reliable news source, Runway1956.
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