Bears vs. Eagles (and Russian Nuclear Bombers Flying to the Homeland!)
The NFL season is over so why are the zookeepers talking about a Bears vs. Eagles matchup? The answer may surprise you. We’re not talking about da bears (or whether or not this one should be traded):
And we’re not talking about these bears either (although the melting of the Polar ice caps is arguably a homeland security issue — follow up story coming to you from the zookeepers):
We’re talking about these Bears:
This is a picture of the Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber also known by the NATO designator “Bear.” The Bear bomber is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and some of the most advanced cruise missiles in the world. A Cold War relic akin to the U.S. Air Force’s B-52 bomber, the Bear is over 60 years old, yet is still a very capable aircraft with almost limitless range due to its aerial refueling capability. In the last five years or so, Russia has been using these bombers to project power overseas. These long range flights were once commonplace during the Cold War, but became very scarce with the fall of the Soviet Union. In recent years, the return of Bear bombers off the U.S. west coast is indicative of a resurgent Russian military.
In 2015, a pair of Bear bombers flew to within fifty miles of the California coast. Although the Bear bombers stayed in international airspace and behaved professionally, their proximity to the U.S. west coast is absolutely a homeland security issue. Anytime a foreign nuclear capable bomber approaches the homeland it is imperative to portray a proactive and capable defense posture. In other words, we see you coming and if your intent is hostile, we can and will defend ourselves. To put this in perspective, estimates of the most advanced cruise missiles the Bear carries (Kh-101/102) have a range of up to 3,100 miles. That distance will cover most of the United States if a Bear bomber is allowed a free pass to approach the U.S. west coast and launch a cruise missile. So who is going to stop the Bear?
Enter the Eagle, the mighty Eagle:
Somewhat a Cold War relic as well, the F-15 Eagle was once the preeminent air superiority fighter in the world. The Eagle entered the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1979 and was its primary fighter and intercept platform for decades. Excellent performance, weapon capabilities, and pilot training made the F-15 Eagle arguably the best air superiority fighter for decades. Roughly thirty-eight years later, the F-15 Eagle is still one of the best fighters in the world and now plays a key role protecting the homeland.
So Bears vs. Eagles…who wins? Let’s hope we never have to answer that question. After all, two nuclear powers going to war is not the desired end state for any foreign policy. Maintaining good relations and contacts between Bears and Eagles will help prevent an inadvertent international incident. In this regard, the last time these two met in 2015 (July 4) the Bear pilot transmitted the following over his radio, “Good morning, American pilots. We are here to greet you on your Fourth of July Independence Day.”
Upcoming: We’ve talked about Bears vs. Eagles so how about Bears vs. Raptors or Bears vs. Hornets? Was Maverick’s “salute” to foreign relations in the movie “Top Gun” based on real incidents?
