Thursday, April 14, 2016

A 'fairly regularly' occurring event certain to elicit breathless reporting from cable news


U.S. Navy video released yesterday.



You can listen here to Wolf Blitzer, in pants-wetting mode, throw logs on what little fire there is.

And then there's this U.S. Navy video from last year.



And this alternative perspective from Tyler Rogoway, editor of Foxtrot Alpha, writing in
Navy Responds To Claim Ship Was Scared Off By Russian Jets With Video.
Is an Su-24 a threat? Sure it is, in that they can carry some fairly wicked anti-ship missiles. But these attacks occur at standoff ranges, not within visual range. If anything, the Russian jet’s offering of free target practice was good training for the Ross’s crew, and passes like this one occur in international waters fairly regularly. And many of those, too, can carry anti-ship missiles like the Su-24.

It does appear that this week's buzz was much closer than last year's.

Related reading:
Expect the Russians to Keep Buzzing American Navy Ships.  (Defense One, 10/29/2015)
Canadian navy ship buzzed by 3 Russian jets.  (AP, 9/9/2014)
Russian aircraft buzz US Navy destroyer: How big a deal?  (Christian Science Monitor, 4/15/2014)
Russian aircraft buzzed U.S. Navy ship.  (11/17/2010)
Pentagon: Russia buzzed aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk.  (Amarillo Globe-News, 12/8/2000)

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