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Canadians intercept Russkie Bears
Canadian fighter jets have scrambled as recently as this week to intercept Russian bombers flying over the Arctic, says the new commander of this country’s air force. CF-18 Hornets met the Tupolev-95 Bear bombers outside Canadian airspace, Lt.-Gen. Angus Watt told The Chronicle Herald’s editorial board Friday.

"It’s not exactly a new challenge; it’s an old challenge that has returned," Lt.-Gen. Watt said Friday.

The recent encounter took place near Inuvik, N.W.T., inside what the military dubs its air defence identification zone. "It’s where we pay attention to people coming in," Lt.-Gen. Watt said. "They were never in our airspace. They were never in our sovereign territory."

But the Russian aircraft were within visual range of the Canuck fighter pilots during their meeting, something that has become a more frequent occurrence lately. "We take pictures," said Lt.-Gen. Watt, who began his military career as a Sea King pilot at 12 Wing Shearwater.

In what seems like an echo of the Cold War, the Russians have also been testing British and U.S. air defences more frequently than they have since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian bombers never stopped flying up to the Canadian Arctic, but the patrols had greatly diminished in the past 15 years.

"We have responded in the traditional way to Russian incursions of our airspace by meeting them as they enter our airspace with our fighters to escort them through to show them that we’re paying attention," Lt.-Gen. Watt said.

Despite the apparent flexing of Russian military muscle, don’t expect a return to the icy animosity that once existed between the Kremlin and countries belonging to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"It’s a different world. We’re not going back to the Cold War," Lt.-Gen. Watt said. "But in the end, it does, I think, prove the point that we can’t take anything for granted."

On Thursday, British jets intercepted eight Russian nuclear-capable bombers heading for Britain — Russia’s largest show of strength since President Vladimir Putin ordered strategic air patrols to resume last month. Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky, a spokesman for Russia’s air force, reportedly said that 14 long-range bombers began missions over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans on Wednesday night.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-09-11
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=198680