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HughPickens.com [hughpickens.com] writes:

CNN reports that the US Navy launched four armed F/A-18 fighter jets to intercept two Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft [cnn.com] that were flying near the 100,000-ton aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan while itwas participating in a bilateral training exercise with South Korea in the Pacific Ocean. "It is standard operating procedure for U.S. planes to escort aircraft flying in the vicinity of U.S. Navy ships," says Navy Cmdr. William J. Marks. "This type of interaction is not unprecedented. Overall I would characterize the interaction as safe." The Nimitz-class nuclear powered USS Reagan [wikipedia.org] is essentially a floating airport, complete with an air traffic control center that tracks and communicates with nearby aircraft. When the carrier engages in flight operations, it institutes a carrier control zone, which extends up to 2,500 feet and within a five-mile radius [navysite.de], according to the Navy’s flight training instruction carrier procedures.

The lack of communication by the Russian aircraft conflicted with general aviation practice [stripes.com]. Even commercial airports of any significant size generally expect two-way radio contact when aircraft fly as close as the Russians did, according to international aviation guidelines. Encounters such as these were common during the Cold War. They subsided with its end but picked up again under current Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Over the last few years and particularly this year and last year, with the start of the Ukraine crisis, Russia has picked up the number of sorties [cnn.com]," says Nick de Larrinaga. adding that Putin wants to show Russia is "still a global military power and a force to be reckoned with."

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