Replying to a message of Adam Flinton to Robert Comer:

 AFadam{at}NOSPAMsoftfab.com>

 AFbobcomer{at}mindspring.com> wrote in message
 AF> news:3e64b9e6{at}w3.nls.net...
 >>> Hey international airspace means it's open to anyone &
anyone can fly
 >> where
 >>> they want...so some NK Migs decided to fly in the same area as some US
 >>> aircraft decided to. Nothing wrong in that.
 >> 
 >> Targeting someone and safety issue in flying close is the problem, not
 AF> that
 >> they flew there...
 >> 

 AF> Flying close my ar*e. just about every photo of a TU95 or even
 AF> Backfire had an F14 or F4 or similar "in the shot" &
pretty darn
 AF> close. Every country subject to similar flights with the ability to
 AF> send something up to tag along will do so. For one thing blasting out
 AF> emr close up to an electronic surveillance craft tends to reduce it's
 AF> efficiency.

 AF> Tornado F3'es used to send 1/2 their life playing tag with elint bears
 AF> & I'll bet a fair few F15'es & F14'es & F4'es did too

 AF> It's a "We know you're there" exercise.

Several years ago, friend Moammar decided he wouldn't permit US RC-135
flights in international waters off his coast.  So he had his AF intercept
one.  They didn't do anything the first time but he said that the next time
his fighters would shoot it down.  The next RC-135 mission had a flight of
Navy fighters flying in close formation with it (looks like one return on
the radar scope), when the Libyan fighters approached the Navy fighters
peeled off and splashed them.  Thus far, Moammar has decided to live with
the couple-of-times-a-week flights.

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