Can Other Country's See

[TWR]

Our weakness? Russian aircraft in our air space, could we defend ourselves with all these cut backs?

[Gromit]

Yes we could and can. The bomber was quickly intercepted.

These cat and mouse games were a daily occurance during the cold war. It is just a sign that our relations with Russia have frosted recently.

[steg]

We probably still have enough stuff to wipe out most of all life on the planet several times over

[anotheoldgit]

Since they were over the channel, is it a joint airspace?

[New Judge]

No, they remained in international airspace, aog. They approached from the north, flew down the west coast of Ireland before heading east up the channel. They then returned the way they came and were never closer than 25 miles from the UK. They were escorted throughout:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31049952

[New Judge]

And forgot to add that most people think of the Straits of Dover when they hear "The Channel". In fact The Channel is up to 150 miles wide and begins at at line drawn between Lands End and the island of Vierge which is a mile off the coast of Brittany.

[ichkeria]

They weren't in UK airspace, as noted.

Nonetheless they were not on a sightseeing tour you may be sure.
Perhaps they just "got lost" as Russian troops apprehended on Ukrainian territory claim :-)

The Russian ambassador was summoned to explain it: I would love to have bee a fly on the wall at that one :-)

[youngmafbog]

Gorbachev has been warning of a return to a cold war (even hinting it may lead to a 'hot' war). He, of course, blames the West not Putin !

[ichkeria]

The Cold War is history.
What we have now is something different and arguably worse. The Cold War was an ideological conflict with much of the world lined up in one camp or the other. There is no longer that division: what you do have instead is one side of the divide wanting to go back to the days when everything was neatly divided up between East and West: Putin has even talked of persuading the U.S. to leave Europe and let the continent be carved up between Russis and the EU effectively. Delusional of course but nonetheless that is the mentality.
For Russia the Cold War never really ended for various reasons.

[anotheoldgit]

New Judge

/// And forgot to add that most people think of the Straits of Dover when they hear "The Channel" ///

I really can't believe that most people think that judge.

But while we are discussing the Straits of Dover, who's airspace is that?

[DTCwordfan]

Whatever happened to that Russian sub that the Swedes had pinned in their archipelago off Stockholm?

[New Judge]

Perhaps “most” is incorrect, aog, but I would suspect many people believe this to be so. I say this because things like the Channel Tunnel and most of the cross-Channel ferries operate in the Dover Strait area and people unfamiliar with the geography may think this is “The Channel”. However, no matter.

As I understand it, a nation’s airspace is that above its land and above its territorial waters (which extend to 12 nautical miles or 22.2 kilometres from the coastline). At their narrowest (between South Foreland just outside Dover and Cap Gris Nez) the Dover Strait is just 33.1km wide. I assume from this that UK airspace extends to the midpoint at 15.55km from the coast where French airspace begins. However, there must be much of the Channel which is more than 24 nautical miles wide and consequently an area international airspace exists. This is obviously where the Russian “Bear” operated earlier in the week. I believe it got as far east as off the coast of Portsmouth before it turned round.

[sevenOP]

Not heard of NATO ?
That is the organisation that conduct 'wargames' close to the Russian border and Britain is a very eager participating member of NATO.

"The Cold War" is history is it ichkeria ? well just listen to Cameron in the video: his delivery is deliberately nuanced to label Russians in the same terrorist category as ISIS. Is the proxy war in Ukraine news to you ?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/05/nato-4000-rapid-reaction-force-baltics-russia

The 'ideological' battle is prostrate yourself to Western Capitalism or be crushed by Western Capitalism.( you know, like Bush's ""Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." diktat )

And ichkeria where did you get this "Putin has even talked of persuading the U.S. to leave Europe and let the continent be carved up between Russis and the EU effectively. " ???

DTCwordfan>"Whatever happened to that Russian sub that the Swedes had pinned in their archipelago off Stockholm?"

had it pinned down so well it escaped DTC ?.... or maybe never existed.