"Russian Flyby Of US Spy Plane: Is Its Military ..." Topic

…Spoiling For A Fight?.

"The Russian pilot maneuvered the jet to flash its weapons, US military officials speculated this week. But defense analysts doubt that Russia is readying for a confrontation.

It seemed like a "Top Gun" encounter from a bygone cold-war era, when the Pentagon revealed this week that a US reconnaissance aircraft had been the target of a "reckless intercept" by a Russian fighter jet.

In one of the Russian jet's more-provocative moves, the pilot maneuvered to flash the aircraft's underbelly to the US pilot – possibly in an effort, US military officials speculated, to show its weapons and signal that the jet was armed…"
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Amicalement
Armand

cold war grandstanding; they did this a lot in the '70s and '80s.

Not like this they didn't. This is something new and rather dangerous.

Imagine the shock on the Russkie's face, if/when a panel on the bottom of the recon bird opens, and a weapons pack of close-in, air-to-air missiles is revealed, while simultaneously being locked on by the recon jet's fire control radar.

Alternatively, just putting a few AAMs under the wings might be fun too, so the recon pilot can roll a bit to show off his own, all-aspect, terminal homing missiles.

At the very least, it will give the Red fighter jocks something to think about.

Of course, I'd prefer an escorting F-22 pilot to pull a "Topgun" photo stunt, just for grins, and to show the Air Force zoomies have nice, digital cameras too.

That'd be priceless.

;-)

You're just itching to start WWIII aren't you. And what if the other side does the same thing, hmmmm?

Just a hot pilot in a fast mover grandstanding…. And I love the 'flashing to show his weapons' line. (What? You came all the way out here unarmed? Not likely….)

RC-130U elint bird?

Well, it would take a whole lot of shooting to take down, but it's a large, slow target in the air…