Russian bomber explodes, video.

[stuart]

Russian Tu-95 'Bear' strategic bomber explodes on runway.

http://www.airlive.net/2016/01/video-ru ... tegic.html

[500N]

Jesus, not nice.


I did like this " The video was reportedly filmed by an eyewitness. "

[Alisoncc]

Pretty spectacular. IIRC Bears coming down over the North Pole would cause us to launch a few Vulcans back in the early sixties. Fylingdales would pick up the Bears, we would launch a few Lightnings to harass them whilst preparing to throw up some V Bombers in Moscows direction.

[Boac]

launch a few Lightnings to harass them

- yes, a few. Like the one serviceable one! Been there, done that AND got the T-shirt. Luckily none of them exploded while I was 'nosing around'.

[Pinky the pilot]

I wonder how you say 'oohh bugger!' in Russian?

[500N]

It'll buff out

[Rwy in Sight]

I am wondering how close to a similar fate come the BA 777 in Las Vegas last September?

Please resume the conversation about the 1960's intercepts. Nice comments I did not know about preparations for launching a counter strike when incoming Soviet aircraft were detected.

[Boac]

I doubt that stance continued for long - the 'penetration' of UK monitored airspace (NB Not 'territorial airspace') became such a regular - almost routine - event by the end of the 60's. The 'normal' high-level transit of Bears was picked up early by Scandinavian defences as they refuelled off North Cape and they were then successively 'intercepted' as they proceded either into the Atlantic to return to mother Russia after a few hours exercise with the fleets OR to proceed to West Africa. The Noggies would 'hand over' to us and we to Keflavik-based US a/c. It was felt 'important' to demonstrate that:-
a) We knew and
b) We could

We maintained two crew and (fully armed) Lightnings at 'readiness 10', 24/7/365, with an occasional 'cockpit readiness' at 2 minutes to airborne, and being scrambled from sleep at 0200 with bunny suit, g-suit and immersion suit needed was interesting. When the 'baddies' had a big exercise there could be several Tanker assisted scrambles a day (with Victors deployed to Leuchars and Lossie) and we (at Leuchars) were often 're-inforced' by the 'other Lightning lot' from 'darn south' as would run out of airframes and crew. 99% of the time, however, we had sufficient 'notice' of scrambles for these which enabled 'bodily functions' to be reasonably planned (using a 'piddle-pack' in an immersion suit on a bang seat was a virtually unknown event, apart from one Irish pilot who appeared to manage - say no more). Further details are restricted by the OSA.... . Photography was a challenge in the Lightning (the Phantom of course carried a 'photographer' ). A hand held non-SLR non-auto camera, aimed wearing a helmet and oxy mask..............the piccies were actually remarkably good. The tanker crews were excellent (eternal thanks!). I recall one crew to whom, after 4 hours 'up there' (somewhere near Iceland) I had expressed a desire to 'empty' my tanks, calling me alongside whereupon one of barstewards waved a large glass of orange squash at me - that helped, thanks....

Occasionally a real attempt to 'pentrate' the area would occur with a/c coming in below radar and then 'popping up' suddenly somewhere. This could cause some distress and excitement if one of the 2 'alert' crews has his immersion suit round his ankles whilst attending to nature or had just downed a mug of coffee.

I recall one 'Badger' which entered the Firth of Forth at quite low level (remaining just 'outside' territorial airspace) and then proceded to try and put the Lightning into the sea by slowing and turning towards. Generally the high-level intercepts were reasonably good-natured with various well-documented events such as Playboy being held up in the rear blisters of the Bear and a bit of (hand) waving. On one occasion my very basic nav kit was not giving me anything useful (I was somewhere in the Iceland-Faroes gap) and I asked the multitude of navs in the Victor tanker for distance and bearing to Keflavik should I need it whereupon Ivan held up a map in his blister and pointed at it. I had only one 'unpleasant' intercept where a 'different' type of Bear was transitting and details were required by 'Int' and this particular Bear went to lot of trouble at (0300 in the morning) to (try to) prevent my doing what was needed. I got the pictures.

I was also scrambled at one point for a high-speed 'incomer' which turned as I approached and accelerated, finishing with us both around Mach 1.4 which in a Lightning was a bit of a problem fuel-wise. I had been instructed on this incident to continue proceeed to 'whenever', landing wherever - or whatever - and I eventually broke off myself and managed to find the tanker which was racing up from Marham towards me and finally plugged in with a real 5 minutes remaining. Never have the fuel flow lights been so welcome! Again it was the middle of a January night over the North Sea with not a good prospect ahead. 'Fun' days.

There you go, RiS. The Bear in the video appears to have suffered a major wing break for some reason, which the 777 would not have suffered, I'm sure.

[Rwy in Sight]

Thanks BOAC. I am amazed of your reaction time at 2:00 am and the immersion suit to be put.

[Boac]

You would probably have been 'amazed' at the state of some of my undergarments on occasions, too..................

[Alisoncc]

Please resume the conversation about the 1960's intercepts. Nice comments I did not know about preparations for launching a counter strike when incoming Soviet aircraft were detected.

I believe the strategy was known as M.A.D. - Mutually Assured Destruction. We couldn't reliably stop them nuking the UK and Europe, and they couldn't stop us doing the same to the USSR. So it was all about pre-emptive strikes. As long as we had a bunch of our nuke-carrying birds aloft then they would back off, or so we believed. Seemed to work.

Don't know about the Valiants and Victors, but Bomber Command always had Vulcans sitting on ORP's - Operational Readiness Pans, with some on QRA - Quick Reaction Alert, ready to go at a few minutes notice. Used to have exercises to test readiness called Mickey's and Mickey Finns. Even though on an OCU - Operational Conversion Unit where crews were assembled and trained, our Vulcans were very much part of Bomber Commands fleet and took part in all exercises, with crews coming up from Waddington to man them.

Squadron Lineys were split into three groups - two on 12 hours shifts on QRA and the third group working straight through, 24 hours if necessary, to get everything possible airworthy just in case. Did we take it seriously, did we ever. We would have people running around hangars at 3-4 o'clock in the morning to get an aircraft ready. Everyone got stuck in, even saw our Engineering Officer on a jack handle once helping lower a Vulcan - four jacks and needed two people to work each jack, and he never got his hands dirty normally.

Alison

[Alisoncc]

You would probably have been 'amazed' at the state of some of my undergarments on occasions, too..................

Revolting creature.
You should try lying with your head between the pedals to get your hands up behind the panel sometime. Not nice at all.

Alison

[Boac]

You should try lying with your head between the pedals to get your hands up behind the panel sometime.

- been there too! Only in a Cessna 310 though.