Not the first time… and it won’t be the last.

By David Pugliese and Amy Minsky, Postmedia NewsJuly 30, 2010

3342775 Russian bombers attempt to probe Canadian airspace

File photo of a CF-18 Jet. Earlier this week Russian bombers were intercepted by CF-18s when they flew too close to Canadian airspace.

Photograph by: Master Corporal Andrew Collins/DND, Postmedia News

Canadian fighter jets were launched this week when Russian bombers came close to probing Canadian airspace, but Russian officials in Ottawa are saying the flight was routine, and are puzzled about why the Canadian government decided to release information about it.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said on Friday the Russian planes, which he identified as Tu-95s — or “Bear bombers” — fly near Canadian space on occasion. But the “unidentified appearance” of these planes caused concern, and prompted the dispatch of Canadian CF-18 fighter jets from CFB Bagotville in Quebec.

“This was a message clearly to them that we’ll have CF-18 fighter planes there to greet them every time,” MacKay said Friday.

Annually, U.S. and Canadian militaries monitor 12 to 18 of the Russian flights, but the Department of National Defence does not regularly release information on them.

Government “talking points” circulating around the capital suggest the Conservatives can use the incident to embarrass Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and bolster support for the Harper government’s plan to spend $16 billion on new stealth fighter jets. “Embarrassingly for (Ignatieff), Russian bomber flights over the Arctic — just two days ago — underscore why our men and women in uniform need modern equipment to do their jobs,” the talking points read.

Defence analysts are now saying that the military’s decision to send the CF-18s airborne is further proof the Canadian Forces needs to buy the new aircraft called the Joint Strike Fighter, or JSF.

The Harper government is facing controversy over its decision on the JSF, with opposition parties questioning whether the purchase is needed when the country’s deficit has ballooned to $50 billion. Ignatieff has said he would review the proposed deal if the Liberals form the next government.

Ignatieff told journalists the incident doesn’t prove the case for buying new fighters. “We’re in the middle of a $54-billion deficit and we’re just about to do $6 billion in corporate tax cuts,” he said. “So they’re buying their joint strike fighter, or they want to buy it, on borrowed money. And we think that’s crazy.”

Sergey Khudyakov, the press secretary for the Russian embassy in Ottawa, said the flight was routine and at no time did the aircraft enter Canadian airspace. “I don’t see anything special here,” he said.

Khudyakov didn’t have any comment on why the Canadian government was highlighting this particular flight but added that in the past, media stories have tended to link those incidents to “domestic politics.”

The aircraft were more than 400 kilometres east of Goose Bay, N.L., according to news reports.

MacKay said Russian planes typically fly from the west coast, near Alaska.

A retired CF-18 fighter pilot confirmed to the Citizen flights like the one in question happen regularly, and that the Russian aircraft would have been monitored from the moment they took off. He noted that the joint Canadian-U.S. North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) conducts similar flights along Russian airspace.

But MacKay suggested Ottawa had not received any warning that the Russian aircraft would be coming close to Canadian territory, as is always requested.

“We ask for ample notice to avoid any confusion or any possibility that there will be a misunderstanding,” he said.

This is not the first time Russian flights have made headlines. In February 2009, MacKay discussed details about another Russian flight, adding that having Canadian jets respond proved the worth of NORAD.

The information about that Russian flight, leaked to journalists by the Conservative government, came during a visit by U.S. Gen. Gene Renuart, the commander of NORAD. The Conservatives claimed that Russian aircraft tried to fly over Canadian airspace the day before U.S. President Barack Obama visited Canada.

But Georgiy Mamedov, the Russian ambassador to Canada, told journalists that Canada was informed in advance of the routine flight. “I have a hard time explaining this bizarre outburst to Moscow right now,” he said of the Canadian reaction to the flight.

A month later Conservative MP Laurie Hawn brought up the topic of the Russian flights, this time during a Commons meeting.

“Are we concerned about any aerial incursions by the Russians for the Vancouver Olympics?” Hawn asked Vice-Adm. Dean McFadden, then head of the command that oversees the military response to domestic incidents.

McFadden said he wasn’t concerned. But Hawn then used the opportunity to highlight the Harper government’s concerns about Russian flights.

Privately, some Russian officials have expressed disappointment with MacKay’s ongoing references to such flights. They note they have provided the Canadian Forces with information and maps about Afghanistan, ammunition to Canadian special forces and other support for the Afghan mission.

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