meo@gatech.edu (Miles O'Neal) (01/20/89)
>The Canadian and US Forces make a regular habit of greeting Soviet >aircraft that approach this continent. A few months ago, a letter from >the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa was published in the Globe & Mail. It >protested that an earlier article on this subject was misleading: that >in fact the Soviets had *never* broken Canadian airspace. That >statement went unchallenged. > >Can any sci.military reader confirm or deny this claim? And does the >same hold true for US airspace? To avoid a flood of interception >anecdotes, please remember that ``airspace'' is almost the same as >``over land''; flights that only come within a few tens of kilometres I thought it included the air over "our waters", ie, the 12 mile territorial limit. >remain within international jurisdiction. Solid references would be >appreciated. If you check any decent-sized libraries, there should be several books of at least one of the following types: pilot's personal recollections, or recent air history. I can't cite the books offhand, but several that I've read described these "routine" flights where we intercept the Soviet craft over Alaskan waters and escort them home. Over land, I can't recall, but those guys move pretty quickly; that 12 miles (used to be 3) disappears REAL fast at average combat jet cruising speeds. I assume we do the same tests, but somehow the books never say that for sure!!! -Miles gatech!stiatl!meo
ricko@rosevax.Rosemount.COM (Rick O'Brien) (01/20/89)
> The Canadian and US Forces make a regular habit of greeting Soviet > aircraft that approach this continent. A few months ago, a letter from > the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa was published in the Globe & Mail. It > protested that an earlier article on this subject was misleading: that > in fact the Soviets had *never* broken Canadian airspace. That > statement went unchallenged. It is very probably true. The intercepts are conducted with full armament and the approaching aircraft are considered hostile. I suspect that any Soviet war planes would be shot down if they crossed into American or Canadian airspace. Check out the May 9 and May 16, 1988 issues of 'Aviation Week & Space Technology' for some excellent articles on the Alaskan Air Command and the conduct of the intercepts, which are made in international airspace. One point worth noting, the incoming Soviet aircraft are not intercepted if they are accompanied by escorting fighters. This is to minimize the chances of an international incident. Rick O'Brien: No experience, just an avid reader.
mat@uts.amdahl.com (Mike Taylor) (01/23/89)
Airspace penetration is defined by the ADIZ (Air Defence Identification
Zone) boundary. This is an offshore line that appears on airspace charts.
Any crossing of the ADIZ must be preceded by an IFR flight plan (although
I believe that penetrations at less than 180 knots are not intercepted).
Violators are considered hostile.
--
Mike Taylor ...!{hplabs,amdcad,sun}!amdahl!mat
[ This may not reflect my opinion, let alone anyone else's. ]