CF-18s intercepted plane on eve of Obama visit

[mcrit]

I just don't see what the big hubbub in the press is for

Bear in mind that it is coming up on the time to replace the 18s. It may be an easier sell if the public sees them doing something or if the public can be made to see the threat still posed by the Russians/CHICOMs.

[monkeyspankmasterflex]

There is no way the Russians would warn the American or Canadian government first

Two sides to every story I guess...

"The countries adjacent to the flight path had been notified and the planes did not violate the airspace of other countries. In this light the statements by the Canadian Defense Ministry provoke astonishment and can only be called a farce," the source told Ria Novosti.

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/ ... ntoNewHome

[Mitch Cronin]

As much as I'm happy to hear we're trying to make use of our 'north' and assert some sovereignty of our borders, I'm afraid it's too little, too late and we'll lose most of it.

With attitudes like that you just might make that a self fulfilling prophecy.

Personally, I prefer the "over my dead body!" approach to such questions... but I wonder if your defeatist attitude is common among you "young timers"?

[Donald]

Inuvik has had the arrestor gear out lately, maybe there is something set up for this right now:

090023 CYEV INUVIK(MIKE ZUBKO)
CYEV RAG (TYPE BLISS 500S) 1500 FT FM THR 06 AND 24, 15 MIN PN TO
REMOVE CABLE 867-777-2522 OR 122.3
TIL APRX 0904152359

[optimus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiX26Jkb ... re=channel

[Moose47]

G'day Fellow Wing Nuts

The Hornets refueled in Inuvik and then proceeded to the intercept. The media blew the story out of all proportion.
On CTV they talked about the Bears and put of a photo of the TU-160 Blackjack.

The government should have a permanent detachment of aircraft up north like we did at Gander during Cold Shaft ops. We used to scramble Voodoos out of Chatham to intercept southbound (and on return trips from Cuba) Bears but they would have to refuel at Gander before intercepting. We finally set up a rotating detachment at Gander which cut down the reaction time by at least 2 hours.

Cheers...Chris

[canwhitewolf]

dltd

[GForce]

I have two brothers working in Inuvik right now. While talking to one brother on the phone last evening, three military choppers were just leaving the airport and flew over his hotel on departure. He couldn't say whether or not they were Canadian Forces or American. So there are military operations ongoing in the far north. As far as the encroachment from the "Bear", it's like your neighbour's dog coming over to crap on your lawn. It's really only a nuisance until you finally step in it. Then you bring out your slingshot. Just like our Forces will do! (Sorry, I couldn't resist..) But seriously, we obviously have to show that we are at least trying to enforce our sovereignty. I'm sure NORAD can see the action coming long before they get here. If we did nothing, the Reds would be landing in CYEG to refuel for the trip home.

GForce

[RFN]

The Bear is an imposing aircraft, to say the least, but I've been visibly aroused while looking at photos of her flightdeck. That is one badass cockpit.

[teacher]

I don't know why people are getting all negative about this incident. The fact that it happens often shouldn't be a reason to take it lightly. Russia has been trying over the last few years to re-assert itself in the world and HAS made claims to portions of the arctic. Letting these things go unchallenged is NOT a way to assert our position as a soverign country. Likewise, letting these things go unpublished all the time breeds complacency amoung people who for one, feel that the Canadian Forces do nothing but eat up tax dollars and two, feel that there are no threats to us and that the CF has become irrelevant in this new age of "peace". However peace is relative since we are fortunate enough to live in this amazing country.

Enforcing our airspace is just as important as enforcing order on our streets. If we don't, next thing it'll be in our airspace, than over our territory, than a surprise visit by a naval ship through our water ways. Ask anyone who lived through the second world war. Everyone sat back and let Hitler do his thing and get bolder until it was too late. An extreme example maybe, but sadly it's the way things operate in this "peaceful" world of ours.

To our men and woman in uniform, thank you, you make us proud.

[youngtimer]

As much as I'm happy to hear we're trying to make use of our 'north' and assert some sovereignty of our borders, I'm afraid it's too little, too late and we'll lose most of it.

With attitudes like that you just might make that a self fulfilling prophecy.

Personally, I prefer the "over my dead body!" approach to such questions... but I wonder if your defeatist attitude is common among you "young timers"?

If it were up to me, we'd have already started or finished work on at least three airport/seaport/research facilities strategically placed through the arctic to ensure we can say its ours, with people and equipment on the ground to back that up. My fear, as I meant it, is that the last couple decades of liberal decision making eroded our ability to backup any claims we make and it may be too costly and difficult to do it now, before someone else does. I'm with you on the 'over my dead body' but we still have half our population that'll stab us in the back, step over our dead bodies and hand over the north, rather than make any show of sovereignty or backbone...

[Mitch Cronin]

Thanks for the response Youngtimer, and I can much better appreciate your point of view with that....
However, it still sounds like it's coming from someone who's given up. I think it's important not to, in order to avoid the outcome you fear.

[youngtimer]

Yeah, that's certainly fair! It's tough not to get depressed these days, though...

[rsandor]

If it werent for these monthly bear "attacks" our cf18 boys and girls wouldn't get much flight experience.

Seems like a legitmate excuse for us to burn lots of oil during this shitty economy.

I'm fine with it!

BTW, there have been about 20 Bear intercepts since 2007, in fact one of my CF buddies sent me an air-to-air pic from one a few months ago..... something tells me that no one told McKay about that fact before he gabbed to the media about what a big deal he thinks it is.

LOL!!

[2R]

Does anyone know if during the repatriation of the Constitution from The UK .They included a clause to Honor all treaties signed by previous governments.So many important things were left out that it required an immediate amendment in the form of a charter as it would seem the smart guy who wrote it left out so many rights .Perhaps they left that out as well .In which case we may have to renegotiate the Alaska treaties of 1845 between Russia ,Great Britain ,and the USA.

I like asking questions when i already know the answer

[silentivan]

I don't know why people are getting all negative about this incident. The fact that it happens often shouldn't be a reason to take it lightly. Russia has been trying over the last few years to re-assert itself in the world and HAS made claims to portions of the arctic. Letting these things go unchallenged is NOT a way to assert our position as a soverign country. Likewise, letting these things go unpublished all the time breeds complacency amoung people who for one, feel that the Canadian Forces do nothing but eat up tax dollars and two, feel that there are no threats to us and that the CF has become irrelevant in this new age of "peace". However peace is relative since we are fortunate enough to live in this amazing country.

Enforcing our airspace is just as important as enforcing order on our streets. If we don't, next thing it'll be in our airspace, than over our territory, than a surprise visit by a naval ship through our water ways. Ask anyone who lived through the second world war. Everyone sat back and let Hitler do his thing and get bolder until it was too late. An extreme example maybe, but sadly it's the way things operate in this "peaceful" world of ours.

To our men and woman in uniform, thank you, you make us proud.

Hear, hear!

[FamilyGuy]

MAD = Mutually Assured Destruction...or the little games they play to stay sharp.

Intercepts are NOT uncommon. Cold Lake is an active scramble intercept fighter base - that's sorta why it's located where it is...well that and Primrose.

Did you happen to see the Russian Ambasdor to Canada on the news tonight? Pretty funny guy...fer a Ruskie. He doesn't see what all the fuss is about...and frankly neither do I.

Intercept = BFD or slooooow news day! (Russian Bear...get it....nevermind)

[WJflyer]

I do have to say this: McKay played the media very well... I'm having a good chuckle at how well McKay managed to create such a buzz.

[Rockie]

Intercepts are NOT uncommon. Cold Lake is an active scramble intercept fighter base - that's sorta why it's located where it is...well that and Primrose.

Cold Lake is a very poor location from which to defend Canada's airspace. It was built as a training base in 1952 on a site chosen in part for its proximity to absolutely nowhere. Air defence had nothing to do with it. It's only in recent years they've placed fighters on active alert, but that's only because they don't want to spend the money staging fighters full time out where our airspace ends and intercepts are supposed to occur.

Right now we can intercept the Russians up north on 3 hours notice, but we'll be out of gas when we get there. If they give us 4 hours notice we can land and gas up in Inuvik first (weather permitting) and then really give the Russians a run for their money.

My comments aren't meant to put down our military since I come from that world in the first place, but we should be realistic about what we can and cannot do.

[Old fella]

Who remembers that 1966 movie: "The Russians are coming, The Russians are coming..." A little spoof during the “us/them" era. It generated some laughs and acclaim from the movie press but the various Generals Hand Grenades’ and Colonel Klink’s south of the border were not amused because the Vietnam war was just starting to wind up big time. Those godless heathen communists will be hitting our shores any time soon!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hedley]

Those godless heathen communists will be hitting our shores

Isn't it weird how communism/socialism, which was all the rage
with the intelligentsia for so much of the 20th century, simply
evaporated with disappearance of the Soviet Union?

It's pretty hard to find anyone these days who will even
admit to ever being a communist/socialist.

The only true communist states left in existence are Cuba
and North Korea, and I don't think they've really done much
for their citizen's standard of living, over the past 50 years -
don't both countries have occasional famines and rationing?

[. ._]

Spoken like true bourgoisie.

But true. I consider myself a communist, but I can't find anyone around to march with me in protest. I just look like some wierdo with a sign, then the cops tase me.

C'mon folks! Ain't no party like a communist party!



-istp

[rigpiggy]

Part of the problem at least as far as YEV is concerned is that they sold the FOL to the town for 1$. Some smart accountant had the town turn off the refrigeration, the permafrost under the hangars subsided, and the slabs have cracked/sunk. Now they have to put everything in the 707 hangar which they no longer own, at abot 3k/aircraft/night. At least that is what Willard charged them 10 odd years back.

[Labour Board]

5-6 years ago they were operating out of the FOB no problem how long ago did they sell it to the town?

[Skyhunter]

Although I probably can't talk about details... I will say none of the FOL stuff mentioned is even close to true.