Military readies jets in Labrador over Russian exercises

[retiredgrunt45]

Posted with the usual.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2007/10/24/goose-russians.html

Canada has stationed several fighter jets at a central Labrador air base to prepare for a possible response to Russian military exercises in the Arctic.

About six CF-18 fighter jets have been stationed at 5 Wing Goose Bay this week, on standby to intercept any Russian military aircraft that may come close to Canadian or U.S. airspace.

Russian bombers have been testing the North American air defence response, and though the action has not been seen as hostile, Lt.-Col. Brian Bowerman, the acting wing commander, said the Canadian force is alert.

"You have to be ready, and this is what they're doing," he said. "They're practising to be ready if they need to intercept [Russian] aircraft."

The Canadian jets, which have been flying missions from Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay for the last five days, are expected to stay at the base for several weeks. About 50 support personnel have accompanied them.

The base was once busy with fighter jet training, especially during the Cold War, but diminishing activity in recent years has called into question whether the base is still viable.

Dean Clarke, a town councillor in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, said the presence of the CF-18s proves that the base still has strategic importance.

"They're a lot closer [now]. They have better legs and flying ability from Goose Bay, where we're northerly located," he said.

Clarke predicted that the value of CFB Goose Bay will become more important as Arctic sovereignty becomes a bigger issue.

He said the town council will use this exercise to remind the federal government of the value of having fighter jets based in the region permanently.

 

[Greymatters]

... which is completely unneccesary because, as so many on this site have previously pointed out, the cold war is over and the Russians are our friends now...  :

 

[Bane]

Could someone with relevant knowledge shed some light on something for me? The CF-18 has a ferry range around 3,300 km (if that is correct), even at Goose Bay the tip of Ellesmere island is about that far away. It seems to me that they could not really respond effectively until an intruder was well in our northern airspace. The same goes for the fast movers in Cold Lake, they simply have so much distance to cover it doesn't seem possible for them to intercept something until it's near the main land. Am I missing something here? Do they fly one way and land and refuel up north?




Edited to include words for to making complete sentences. 

 

[PiperDown]

That is why the 18s will fly with a tanker for air to air refuel.  And, its not like the russians just pop into our airspace, we will be well aware of where they are, long before they could pose any threat.

 

[Greymatters]

Reference CF-18 airfields, read the bottom paragraph here...

http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002485

And reference the ability of the Russians to fly in undetected, the Russians claim they have done that, although I havent read if we were able to debunk this claim or not.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2006/04/24/206145/russians-claim-bomber-flights-over-us-territory-went.html

 

[Mike Baker]

I don't see why we don't keep any CF-18s in Goose Bay. We should even have at least 2-3 there. But, I guess the government found it too hard to keep them there because of cost, I guess.

 

[Greymatters]

Not enough bars to drink in and babes to hit on for the pilots if they got posted there...

 

[Haggis]

Not enough bars to drink in and babes to hit on for the pilots if they got posted there...

Definitely a Quality of Life issue.

 

[Jarnhamar]

6 F18s will hold em back for sure.

 

[soilderkinkajou]

Please correct me if i am wrong but don't the Russian use SU-47?? which can keep up with the F-22 making the F-18 obsolete so what will 6 of ours will do. don't get me wrong our pilots may be good but kinda out numbered.

 

[Bane]

There are probably only 6 SU-47's total, if that many. Russia's GDP is less than Canada's, and while they heavily favour defence spending and the cost of equipment for them is marginally less than ours there are limits.  Also they have huge legacy system costs to contend with and you have to think that if the addtion of a few C-117's is going to tap our fuel bill the resumption of Bear and Blackjack flights must have consequenses for them.  To add to that, a plane is only as good as it's pilot, and aside from a mild patroitic sentiment to prefer our own pilots, Canada's pilots are among the very best, period.

A bit off topic, Russia is putting our new radar satellite into orbit for us; we're not exactly dire enemies.
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=1ded8256-f5dd-45c8-9bea-5fca639e1ed7&k=95089

 

[aesop081]

I don't see why we don't keep any CF-18s in Goose Bay. We should even have at least 2-3 there. But, I guess the government found it too hard to keep them there because of cost, I guess.

:

2 or 3 aircraft in one location permanently doesnt give you any flexibility to conduct training, missions and have aircraft available while still doing all the extensive maintenance modern aircraft require. Thats why it makes sense for us to have to main operating locations for our fighters and use the network of FOL and other Wings to deploy from as the situation requires.

 

[belka]

The same goes for the fast movers in Cold Lake, they simply have so much distance to cover it doesn't seem possible for them to intercept something until it's near the main land. Am I missing something here? Do they fly one way and land and refuel up north?

That's why FOL Inuvik is there for. 

Please correct me if i am wrong but don't the Russian use SU-47?? which can keep up with the F-22 making the F-18 obsolete so what will 6 of ours will do. don't get me wrong our pilots may be good but kinda out numbered.

Lets just say that if Russia wanted to take over our airspace, they could. I don't care if our pilots are one of the best trained in the world, it's a simple numbers game, they have more then we do.

 

[Greymatters]

Lets just say that if Russia wanted to take over our airspace, they could. I don't care if our pilots are one of the best trained in the world, it's a simple numbers game, they have more then we do. 

Uh, no, its a matter of range not numbers.  They can have all the fighters they want, they cant control the airspace if the aircraft arent there to fly CAPs and patrols.  They only have so much fuel, and aircraft cant fly indefinately using fuel from tankers.  At the very least they would need to establish an airfield or an aircraft carrier nearby (plus all the other support neccesities, like radar, SAR, etc.) to base their aircraft from, and it would only last as long as their supplies did... never mind the fact that a few ground-based assets in the right place would be a constant threat...

 

[3rd Herd]

Prior thread:
The Russian Bears Are Back?
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/64519.0.html

 

[Greymatters]

Prior thread:
The Russian Bears Are Back?
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/64519.0.html

It is pretty much the same topic.  Time for a merge?

 

[3rd Herd]

It is pretty much the same topic.  Time for a merge?

My thoughts too Graymatter. Easier to keep track of. Oh Mod, oh mod.................