Russia is playing 'top gun' with U.S. warplanes

I am going to mention this now, because after the last incident I think this is worth mentioning. Today, yet another Russian warplane barrel rolled over a U.S. spy plane from left to right, not back to front as is normal. That was actually dangerous and required amazing precision flying to accomplish. It managed to maintain forward velocity with the RC135 spy plane, and stayed over the wings during the entire roll from left to right, and it did it no more than 25 feet away from the American plane.

Russia has been buzzing U.S. warships (as you already most likely know) and they have been doing aerobatics around American aircraft as well. This latest one tipped the scale for me, it took a serious hotshot pilot to pull it off because he had to 1. Barrel roll while 2. sliding 350 mph in the direction the American aircraft was going to approach on one wing tip of the American craft and leave on the other wing tip, and while doing that, 3. keep a distance of only 25 feet while 4. going forward in his own flight direction at a near supersonic speed.

That's crazy stuff, air show ace type stuff and to do that with another aircraft that is not expecting it is serious hot dogging and really was actually dangerous, not just puffery about danger.

This was done by Russia after America told Russia to stop doing such things. And Russia's response was to have a total crack pot ace rub America's nose in it all even worse than ever before. And I think Russia did this as an intimidation tactic, to prove to America that they actually could accomplish such an aerobatic feat, to warn America that Russian pilots and aircraft are top notch. You cannot do a maneuver like the latest one without very high skills and a very good aircraft. I think it was a stout political message.

rod@thellastoutpost.com