ACIG Database
Bear Hunters, Part 4
By ACIG Data-Base
Sep 30, 2003, 12:55

Satellite photograph of Soviet Tu-95s at San Antonio de los Banos AB, on Cuba, in 1980. (Tom Cooper collection)

Emphasis of what the Cold War high over Atlantic was looking like and about: an F-102A breaks away after intercepting a Soviet Tu-95 bomber. Both aircraft operate at high altitude, leaving plenty of contrails. (Tom Cooper collection)

A close-up of the forward part of an V-DA Tu-95 intercepted by KLu fighters, in 1974. (Tom Cooper collection)

Interceptions of Soviet recconnaissance aircraft and bombers were undertaken around the clock. The photographs above and bellow were taken by the pilot of a Canadian F-101 Voodoo interceptor, in 1977. (Tom Cooper collection)

In the Far East, the V-DA and V-MF bombers were also active around Alaska and numerous US islands in the north-western Pacific. One of USAF F-15A interceptors from 21st TFW, based on Elmendorf AFB, intercepted this Tu-16K in 1979.

Also in the Far East, but quite a few years later, the F-14As of the VF-51 "Screaming Eagles" intercepted this Tu-95RC.

The Tomcat-crews from the VF-51 remained successful Bear-hunters also during other USN exercises in the Western Pacific. They were especially busy in 1982 and 1983. This Tu-95RC was intercepted by an F-14A of the VF-51 "Screaming Eagles", that operated from the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) with the US 7th (Pacific) Fleet in the 1986.

On the northern wing of the NATO, the Norway Air Force was also very active in intercepting Soviet bombers and patrol aircraft around the Nord Cap and the Kola Peninsula. In this case a NAF F-16A encountered an AS-4-armed Tu-22M-2: some of the best and most informative pictures of Soviet aircraft were taken by the pilots of Norwegian (but also Swedish) air force.

A very rare photograph of an encounter between a 323rd Sqn KLu F-16A ("J-232") with the Soviet Tu-95M only some 150km north of the Dutch coast, on 12 May 1987. The pilots of the two F-16As were 1st Lt. Herman van Heuvelen (the photographer), and 1st Lt. Fred van Breenen (flying the F-16A seen on the photo). (via Arthur Hubers)