China's Dangerous Game of Airborne Chicken 

My father was an F-4 and F-14 pilot. I have a story that would probably make a great video for you Ward, but I'll summarize it here: During a Medd cruise, pops went up to intercept and escort a Tu-95 Bear that was transiting the fleet, as they often did. During this intercept, the pair passed through a cloud. According to my Uncle, the man telling the story initially and a Naval Aviator himself (S-3s), the Bear struck the tail of my Dad's F-4 with his wing, severely damaging the upper part of the vertical stabilizer. His wingman comes over, does a BDA, and advises Pops to bail. He does not bail, and instead manages to land on the carrier safely. I will reach out to my uncle to try and hammer down this story a little more neatly, get the important facts straightened out, and then contact you about a potential video. You're a good story teller, and I think you'd do it justice.

I used to be a merchant marine deck officer, and that whole "Oh the 4 engined, 707 based airframe made my Flanker have to take evasive action" reminds me very much of being on the bridge of the ship going into some place like the Persian Gulf and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards being out in the Straight of Hormuz getting in the way of traffic and being like, "American containership, state your intentions." "Yes Iranian motor boat... My intention is to safely transit the Straight of Hormuz inside the approved and recognized traffic seperation scheme, which, in accordance with the Colregs, you are impeding illegally. My vessel is restricted to operation inside the TSS, so be advised to keep clear of my vessel. Out." Hanging up on those guys was fun. Sometimes we just ignored them, which is also illegal. I used to love listening to them try to demand info from the US Navy. There was a DDG-51 right outside the straights just doing their thing, but not in anyone's way, and the Iranian Navy had this really annoying coastal radio station that would harass people, and the Iranians called them on Channel 16 like 9 times asking them to state intentions and the DDG just ignored them. On about the 9th or 10th try, they answered, and you could tell the guy on the DDG was reading his script. Iran hailed, and without preamble they just said, "This is Coalition Warship (insert number here - for some reason it always seemed to be something like 73). Be advised we are conducting military operations in international waters in the vacinity of the Straight of Hormuz. All traffic is advised to stay clear of my vessel. Warship 73 Out." Well Iran didn't like that and called back, and they gave them the same line again. So Iran called again and this time, the DDG agreed to change to a different channel, so I swapped one of my 3 VHF radios to the new freq to keep listening. Iran asked what they were doing about 5 times, and every time they just said the same thing, verbatim. Finally, on about the 8th time they asked for information, the DDG reads out their canned statement and the Iranians say, "How many warships are taking part in military operations with you at this time? Over." I remember thinking, "They aren't going to tell. They'll barely admit to being out here." To my shock, the DDG responded with something like, "Be advised, we are operating in company with 7 additional Coalition warships at this time. All traffic must keep clear of my vessel. Out." My watch partner didn't understand what was so funny, but I got a huge kick out of it. Iran basically begged them to say anything, and eventually they basically said, "Piss off, I'm busy, and if you don't, I've got the boys with me, so you're really going to want to piss off soon," and Iran was like, "Yeah... yeah that does sound like the smarter move. Don't shoot us. We're done bothering you." It was awesome. I hated going over there so much.

I got to meet the EP-3 crew from the 2001 collision at Andrews AFB airshow. They had a J-8 'kill' marking on the (replacement) aircraft. I suspect that the marking didn't last too long.

My day just got better! Any day with a new Ward Carroll video is better for it. 😃

Can't help but chuckle at the message "from the Chinese Navy" being quite close to "All your base are belong to us."

I was on an LST in the SCS and a Soviet plane zoomed by very closely. Everyone saw him coming and threw whatever was in their hands at the moment in front of the plane, wrenches, shackles, bolts, etc... Our CO came on the 1MC and said not to do that because we could cause an international incident. He came by again but not so close.

Another great episode. In the 70's I remember two P-3 events. The one Mr. Anderson speaks of (Subic Bay); I remember as the ground crew servicing the Water/Menthol tanks improperly which ethanol. When the aircraft rolled down the runway, the pilots armed the water/menthol injection system, the system kicked in for extra power on takeoff, the ethanol hit the compressor section causing the one or more of the engines to explode and the aircraft landed in Subic Bay. I was told there were more fatalities than one. (The safety investigation lead to the 55 gal drums to be repainted to different colors for different liquids and to separation distances being greater for different liquids.) The second incident was a P-3 doing an emergency landing in the Bering Sea, this ditching was considered a successful ditching of a P-3 in that only half the crew perished, remainder were rescued by a Russian Fishing boat off the coast of Russia between Russia and the Aleutian Islands. Even though half the crew died, it was listed a the only successful ditching of a P-3 at that time (1974/5).

I'm all about professional pilots showing their skills to other foreign aircraft. This has always happened, I remember a Russian Bear, escorted by two F-14 Tomcats, overflying my ship (USS Enterprise CVN-65) in the South Pacific in 1986. That was awesome, we also snapped photos of a Russian Backfire during that cruise. I would like to think that pilots of any country still appreciate and respect the pilots of another. Perhaps you guys and girls will bring hostilities to an end. I would appreciate that. Peace to all.

Back in June a Chinese jet deployed chaff into the engine of a RAAF P-8. This took the aircraft out of service for few weeks for repair. Was well covered in the Australian news.

There was also an instance a few years ago where a PLA fighter purposely dispensed chaff into the engine intake of a RAAF P-8.

The American kid was caned for serial vandalism. Him and a couple of friends had been trashing cars for months. The others had diplomatic immunity. It was in the 1990ies, when I was living there.

I had to laugh. In your day in the F-14 things might have been ‘calm’ with the Soviets. My uncle was an airborne Russian linguist in the USAF in 1955-75, and flew missions all over the world. He has stories of a North Korean MiG-17 pulling up in front of the C-130B-II Sun Valley bird he was in, so close that the afterburner blew out a cockpit window and depressurized them. He also flew all the early RC-135 variants, including the über spooky KC-135R Cobra Jaw (first use of the KC-135R MDS long before the CFM engines) that trailed an antenna on a thousand feet of cable out the back end. A Soviet pilot got too interested in the antenna and got his MiG tangled up in the cable - and it wasn’t a good outcome for him. So yeah, the Chinese are being assholes, but there’s nothing new under the sun.

I used to fly with Senior Chief Mellos who was one of the flight engineers on the EP-3 back when I was in VP-10 in the early 1990's. At the time of the incident I had no idea. It was when I was watching the news where they showed the EP-3 crew stepping off the airplane once they released back to the U.S. I couldn't believe it when I saw him. I figured that there was some chance I might know someone but figured it was slim to none. I'm glad Nick Mellos & the rest of the crew survived.

Though not "brown shoe" related, I have a few anecdotes of interactions with Russian Vessels. While on a Med Cruise in late Summer 1976, I was aboard the Frigate USS Jesse L Brown (FF-1089). The USA Men's Basketball Team had recently won the Gold Medal in the Summer Games. We were steaming the Med and a Russian Frigate type ship came alongside less than 100 yards off the starboard beam. They "flashed" a "Congratulations" for the USA Team win. They also dipped their Steaming Ensign as a friendly salute. Our Captain, a Mustanger, had no friendly feelings towards the Russians. When the Signalman asked the Captain if he wanted to return the Dipped Flag Salute, The Captain said, "Hell No! F$%# 'Em!" So, we kept on steaming. There were shallow Mid Med anchorages at various places around the Med where we could group up with other ships and just sit, typically overnight. We might have a swim party if time, weather and watches permitted. Other nations would also anchor there. One morning, after breakfast, we performed our usual pre-muster routine and went out onto the Fantail with our Coffee and Cigarettes. The seas were exceptionally glassy. Overnight a Russian warship had anchored about 500 yards away. While we were sitting around on our deck, we could see much of the Russian crew out on their fantail in formation doing exercises.. jumping jacks, push-ups, etc. It was a treat to see and hear someone else having to break a sweat so early in the day. In 1975, when beginning a Middle East Cruise, our ship was one of the first American Warships to transit the Suez Canal after the cleanup from the 6 Day War was completed. We anchored at Port Said overnight before the transit. There were a couple of Russian OSA Class Missile/Gunboats anchored outside the harbor. We were told they were not allowed inside the harbor. While moored there, we kept hearing small muffled explosions about every 10 to 15 minutes, all night long. We asked what that was and were told that a security guard would come out and would drop grenades into the water to deter any hostile swimmers. My rack was next to the hull below the waterline, so I could hear them through some restless sleep.

Liked this ! I mapped some of those islands in the SCS during the 80's. Never got intercepted as the Spratley Islands were not developed yet. Earlier, flying Tacamo, we had a very good Emergency Destruction plan in case of capture or landing. High value classified material first and then sensitive equipment next. The EP3 crew did not have much time to cleanze the area during the emergency as crew was probably strapped in for impact crash. Liked this video, thank you Ward !

Thanks! I appreciate the level of detail and research that goes into your episodes. Great insight by one who has been there and done that. BZ.

First view! Thanks for everything you’re doing with this channel mate. Some of the most interesting and articulate content on this platform. Cheers from New Zealand

I always wondered what the procedures was for the P-3 crew after the mid-air collision. Thanks for giving me a glimpse if what it should have been.

As a former E-2C CICO (VAW-117/CVN-65) I enjoyed my share of running TU-95 intercepts in the “Bear Box” transiting to Westpac, and so I really enjoyed this episode. One thing I’d call out on the Egypt Air comparison, is that as commercial pilots, they spoke English. I think it’s all lost in translation in the current theater as we’re not dealing with civil aviation pilots who are trained in English. I wonder how things would be different if everyone could communicate. Also, I wasn’t a fighter pilot but I did hear the stories of the rubber masks and Playboy magazines! Thanks for the memories Ward!

Did watch the whole episode! Great interview. Interesting as always. Thanks!

I appreciated this video. I was a VP guy back in the mid-70’s at Barber’s Point, in P-3Bs. Later I was an E-3 AWACS guy in the 80s and 90s. Brought back a lot of memories. I believe Wang is pronounced “Wong” in some dialects, and to hear of a pilot named Wong Wei always sounded a bit ironic in English. Enjoyed. Thanks.

Love to hear your take when the Victor-class Soviet sub surfaced in front of the USS Kitty Hawk in 1984. I was aboard when it occurred-as a V4 Grape.

Dad flew on the RC 135 out of Shemya in the 70s before being on the KC 135s at Plattsburgh & Mildenhall, he would have loved your channel and this video immensely which is poignant since this is the 2 year anniversary of his passing. Thought I was well over being emotional about it but the video proved me wrong, thankyou for this.

I recall hearing similar incidents happening when I did my WESTPAC deployment in 2016 with the USS John C. Stennis. I personally cannot confirm or deny these as being anything but rumor (I was on ship's crew, not squadron), but the East and South China Seas are dangerous places nowadays, especially around the Paracels and Spratleys... The PLAAF weren't the only ones trying to aggressively scare off the US Navy from the area; PLAN ships would regularly shadow the CVBG (and on occasion we would have to avoid them trying to impose themselves in front of the battlegroup's path).

Ward I was on the Indy with you on WestPac 90! Crazy about all the flybys. I was on deck fixing centerline strobes when the Bear Backfire Bomber came over the ship. I’ll never forget that.

Two things: the separation between the planes didn't look anything like 20 ft, seemed about double that, although the lens aperture can distort distances. Secondly, the new arctic latitudes now available to marine traffic due to ice melt will present a bigger challenge to the countries having territorial claims in keeping their sovereign rights intact, notably the U.S, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland. Norway, and Denmark.

This has been going on for a very long time. Before arriving at VQ-2 in Rota, Spain I can remember hearing stories of certain crews from different aircraft over the years being harassed and even shot down and losing their lives while on watch. As a young cryptologist and Aircrewman aboard an EP-3C Aries II I can tell you we were intercepted and on occasions harassed by certain Soviet Aircraft over the years and of course aircraft from other countries as well including Libya. I always felt they would toy with us knowing we were pretty much defenseless up there. I remember the VQ-1 incident or Hainan Island incident happening a few years after I returned stateside. I’m extremely grateful to be alive today especially after finding out just how many reconnaissance aircraft and Aircrewman were lost over the years.

3:07 "Shenyang" actually means "Shenyang Aircraft Corporation", the company that built that Flanker.

I remember when this happened. The news showed a clip of stock footage of what the computer destruction should look like with these strips of plastic you were supposed to pull that set off an incendiary inside each computer. Even at the time I remember thinking that's not really possible with everyone strapped in trying to save their life. I also remember the Chinese wanting $1,000,000 for storage fees of the plane and our ambassador saying that was too much. I also remember the U.S. officials warning the Chinese not to enter or touch our aircraft and the Chinese basically laughing at how ridiculous a statement that was.

i approve of Blake's collection of Patrick O'Brien books on the shelf behind him.

I flew in similar missions to this but never, as far as I knew, ever had anything even close to these kinds of incidents. These “Let’s go Super Pilots” are definitely scary! Plus those Chinese jet jocks look really unstable! To all those RC-135 flyers and including those in other branches, good job, and good luck !

Aviator here. Shut down the engine with the damaged prop and fly the a/c to friendly base. At Pensacola they said, "We're not here to teach you to fly. We could teach your grandmother to fly. We're here to teach you to do the right thing when things go wrong. Bad decision here by PIC. The P3 flies fine on 3 engines. Don't give the bad guys your secret military tech.

Best in the New Year Mooch . Great chat as always with Blake.

I took a tour of USS independence when it was in port at San Diego before it was decommissioned. It was huge and yet it's the smallest one.

That story conclusion around 16:17 is just incredible, though a small moment, I would have loved to get that kind of memory in my lifetime, I'm sure the other passengers of the aircraft you escorted that day and photobombed tell his kids that Ronald Regan was flying a jet next to him on a mission.

One result of the EP-3 Hainan incident was an expensive acceleration of the replacement of the EP-3 by the unmanned MQ-4 Triton (based on the Globalhawk) in order to replace the electronics that the Chinese obtained as a result of the security lapses by the EP-3 crew.

Deployed onboard Nimitz, somewhere in the Med in the 80's. Doing a CIWS/Drone shoot, we are standing on the flight deck watching. A Hormone actually flew up next to the bridge, hovers, port door opens, camera with a huge lens pokes out and starts taking pictures (most likely). This goes on for about 5-10 mins at which point 2 S-3's are called in and fly right over the ship/Hormone. The lens goes back in the Hormone and the door slams shut and the Hormone turns to starboard and hauls ass away from the ship with the S-3's in trail. I could go on and on. This is unfortunately nothing new.

Fascinating. Thank you both.

Another Absolutely Engrossing Topic and Session with Blake Herzinger, Ward! Thanks so much!

Ok Ward, Now you've got to travel to Melbourne Australia to watch an Aussie Rules Football game. And then to Japan to experience the Bullet Trains.

The good ol days when Soviet AGI's would hang out off the coast of San Diego then run through the battle group trying to force a collision. Those skippers had balls.

Someone who is "not as good as they think they are" is dangerous regardless of the situation.

Always a nice job Ward, and Blake! A nice follow up vid would be of the possible scenarios would be if the J 11 or the E3 Rivet or both had been downed as a result? Thank You!

Some enterprising AF pilot needs to carry a Winnie the Pooh mask when the Chinese intercept them.

Ward, excellent episode! Thanks again!

flashback to the Hainan Island incident

I was part of the CVA62 ship's crew from 1970-72, working in the VLA shop as a PLAT and FLOS operator. My time came to a close just as the F4's were being replaced with the F14s. I regret I never got to see the Tom Cats being launched and recovered.

Good episode! I can well understand the reluctance to try ditching the EP-3. If memory serves, the most successful P-3 ditching was at Subic Bay in 1970, and even then there was one fatality when the floor failed just behind the flight station killing the Navigator. With the extra radome on the EP-3, and right in that same area of the plane, I can sure see why they would opt to land instead. As for a wheels up landing, the only classified gear that would have been destroyed is the antenna within the radome and not the signal processing gear up in the plane, and I suppose they might have been doing some advanced phased array stuff down there, but I would think export controls on components would cover the antenna array duplication pretty well. It's too bad that they didn't do a better job at destroying classified gear (I assume there are better safeguards in place now), but I support the decisions made by the crew as far as I understand the situation.

The Chinese never cease to surprise me. What will they say next.... "we didn't shoot down that plane, it got in the way of the missile".

And one more correction: the incident where Russian jets passed too close to the USS Donald Cooke in the Black Sea in 2014 were NOT MiGs, but Sukhois, more especifically a Su-24M.

I lived in Beijing during the EP-3 incident in 2001 while I'm wearing my F22 jacket with the American flag lol. Give that a try. As an aerospace engineer the story within China was absolutely ludicrous.

USS John King was on that same deployment with me as a new Gunners Mate aboard!!! Singapore is everything you said. I came aboard Independence from Diego Garcia on a cod flight.

You left out the most important detail from the radio communication between the Chinese and the P-8 crew: "MEOW!"

these kind of events have occurred since at least 1946, all over the world, by several powers. including many with actual contact, such as the ussr/norway flanker/orion incident in the 90s, or mig 15s shooting down b 45 tornados on the border of ussr

What a marvellous channel. Thank you, guys.

I love your guest Blake, you guys do really well together. Always a pleasure

Thank you for sharing your experience's with us.

Is it possible to provide the RC planes with escorts or are the distances involved too great for fighters?

I was stationed in Singapore in the early 90’s after my command transferred from SUBIC Bay in 1992. Great duty. 👍

Happy new year Ward!

Hi Ward. How is it possible that the P3 Crew received no guidance after the collision as far as which actions were feasible to prevent any sensitive equipment to fall in the wrong hands? No communications were exchanged with the higher command before the landing was attempted? No order or guidance was given to the crew on how to safeguard the equipments on board? This appears incredible on such a sofisticate aircraft and on the amount of Coms available. Regards.

Hey Ward, I just wanted to say that I know nothing in general about the Military, but I truly enjoy watching your videos. They give me a sense of what has transposed and what is currently being done in our armed forces. I truly appreciate your work. Keep it up. Love your guitars and your choice in music btw😁

Thanks for bringing back fond memories of my WestPac deployments in '84-85 aboard USS Okinawa, LPH-3! Shooting the moon at the Russian Bear bombers that would do low flybys over the group or at the Russian "fishing" trawlers as they would trail us for days.

27:16 This is why pilots will be replaced by either remote control or some fancy computer program. They refused to do the correct thing. Or at least a kill button in case of pilot/crew failure.

In a similar vein, and as I remember it, I was flying with Okie Nance in VF51 off the Kitty Hawk (81 WestPac) during the first part our tour on Gonzo Station when we were briefed that we were about to be visited by some Soviet built Mays flying out of Yemen. The intel guys advised caution because they had a history of flying very low and turning into their escorts in an effort to fly them into the water. Okie figured we'd counter that by flying stepped up on their wing, which is exactly what we did when we launched on them from the alert. So,we're in position and flying slow enough so we're cocked up a bit and the May pulls straight into us in the turn to duck under and we're already low...not sure but seemed like about 500 feet. Okie pulls the airplane up into buffet to avoid the collision and expertly barrel rolls onto the other wing and we hang on. There were no further incidents with that guy during that intercept. Then we go down to Perth for a port call and before we get back to Gonzo Station after, the first F-14 Libyan shootdown occurs. So, the Mays come out again, nowhere nearly as aggressive; in fact, I thought I could see the pilot giving us head nods before he moved anything...

My little brother and I would always giggle when we got to the An-22 page of "The Encyclopedia of World Air Power."

Guard duty on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Yeah ,that sounds fun. 😒

I remember when the Hainan incident occurred. I was very disappointed in how Bush handled the situation.

It's crazy to me that they can release the video and still claim the US plane acted irresponsibly. The fighter clearly is banking into the RC-135.

That second Chicom pilot speaking literally sounds like a South Park parody voice.

I love watching this channel grow .

Hey Ward, What about the incident with the Australian P8 when the Chinese aircraft popped chaff RIGHT In FRONT of the Australian aircraft. Had that FODed an engine we are talking about an Act of War! Cheers from Down Under! Andrew

I was ground support in Okinawa (TSIC-K at the 390th) for the Navy plane that was forced to land in China because of the accident with their fighter. The Chinese stopped flying like that for quite awhile, then slowly started back up. If North Koreans reacted the recon plane would issue reports and head back home. Lots of other interesting things would happen that I won't mention.

Q: Do our military personnel get any (or enough) training for How to handle these situations should it happen to them? If, as (at the 30 min mark) you described several other incidents in the past, it is not infrequent, is it a part of our troops training to ensure that this sensitive equipment, not be obtained by our enemy? It is enough of a consideration that causes it to be designed to be blown up, destroyed in place, or when not possible use the sledge hammer we put on the plane just for this purpose. Should it not also be trained enough that it can be accomplished at least most of the time? I cannot judge, and I did not when I watched this unfold as it happened. But now with timelines and deconstruct years later, it seems that the crew did have time, resources, and knowledge that could have prevented this VERY damaging loss (on every level: political, international, militarily, technological, security, diplomatic) and their incarceration? I know it is easy to ask this from the office chair, rather than the cockpit, so I am only asking to further understanding of this incident happening in real ways now.

Very incompetent PRC pilots. The Russians still do this with the Norwegian P-3s, but most of them are decent enough not to be stupid. The PRC is in a whole extra category of dummy. I should mention that in the lat 2010s the US wanted to spend a few $M to build a camera pod for these situations. The Norwegians bought 10 go-pros.

Hi Ward, I am from Singapore. I enjoy watching your very informative videos and currently learning how to fly the Cat on DCS 😅 I am very pleased to learn you visited our country when you were still in the US Navy. Hopefully some day you can visit again, especially to see our iconic Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. Singapore is also very concerned about the security situation in the South China Sea and our government’s position is that it wants all parties involved in disputes to settle them amicably and in accordance to international law.

Some good info and anecdotes. You are missing a LOT of detail in your attempts to throw the EP-3 E crew under the bus, but understand, as you were not there and gossiping is a lot of fun.

Isn't it true the artificial islands they been making are starting to fall apart? I know I heard they used cheap concrete or something that can't stand up to the salt water or something. The runways at the airfields are falling apart too

Where to do go to buy you your rivet joint training aid. Seems like we will be doing more of these

Don’t know if you guys heard about the incident a few months ago mid 2022 where a J16 flew only 50 meters directly in front of an Australian P8A Poseidon in the South China Sea and deliberately released it’s chaff which was then sucked in to the Poseidon engines. I suspect they did it after viewing the RAAF roundel and identifying the aircraft as Australian. They’d be less likely to do that to a USN aircraft I dare say simply because the consequences would be more serious for the Chinese. Unfortunately a country as relatively small economically and militarily as Australia as compared to China and the United States just doesn’t have the same political leverage as do the superpowers and emerging superpowers.

There is something positive about recent Chinese aggression. It shows that you can’t trust anymore Dictatorships. Stop being nice and doing trades with them. Treat them for what they are.

Great episode!!!

How would we feel if China sent their carrier fleet to Cuba? They have already supplied much of the infrastructure there - buses,cars, utilities, etc. What if the Chinese version of the Rivet Joint is seen to take off from Cuba and fly near Key West, or Cape Kennedy in 'international waters'?

I was living on the dependent (my dad was a CPO in HC 4) base in Sig when that happened. I remember that incident vividly, Libya and that happened while I was there.

15:30 Cold-War "Intercept-Innocence". So, pre-9-11, I was tasked with working in Melbourne, and living in Sydney. I negotiated with the partner managing the business-unit to fly me to-fro to work Mon-Fri every week. At the time I was working on my CPL. Of course I would schmooze my way onto the flight-deck, for the whole flight, with permission of The Captain, where possible, wielding my Student Pilot's License to the Purser of the cabin. One particular Friday evening going back to Sydney, the QANTAS captain was very relaxed and wanting to shoot the breeze. He happened to be ex Cali Air-National-Guard. He was a jolly, dwarfish Yank known as "Ed" who formerly flew F-106s for CA-ANG, and had apparently intercepted a fair-few TU-95s off the coast of California. As he related, one cheeky trick they would sometimes do (fuel permitting) was to get visual contact, purely from GCI/AWACS vectors, approach from behind and below under EMCON conditions, invert, light the burners, and fly under the Bear, at a substantial closure-rate but passing at a safe (they thought) distance. They would then decelerate, circle-back and intercept properly on the Bear's wing, right-side-up. Apparently this was very entertaining for the Soviet TU-95 crews, as he frequently exchanged waves and saw crew taking snap-shots when they re-formed with the TU-95 to do the intercept properly. I don't know if he ever "thumped" a Bear, but at any rate, everyone survived. True or not, it's one of my favorite cold-war stories!

I think think the fear of incidental contact is very real. If the Chinese fly like they drive an automobile there may be justification for this real concern. I'm just saying.

As a student pilot, we had to wait a few minutes before landing or takeoff if there was a heavy in the pattern because their wingtip vortices would toss us around like confetti… im not sure about relative sizes here, but wouldn’t that be part of the fighter’s problem? He’s put himself in basically the roughest, most turbulent air in the vincinity, in slow flight, seems like he wanted to lose control.

The Chinese need to be warned that in the future a sidewinder up the tail pipe will be used. I don't like violence but lines have to be made. I've heard that their Gen5 fighters are impressive looking but not as advertised in capability. Instead of being predictable cowards we should be bold unpredictable warriors. Can't have loss of respect and I'm not talking about being arrogant.

@30:41 Gary Powers was trained to hit the immolate button. His plane malfunctioned and he chose not to do it. Is it good training policy to have someone decide to commit suicide? I'm not qualified to answer that.

So, you are sticking your nose in another country Sovereign territory, snuffed, spying on them They sent a military jet to investigate what's going on, they realize than you're spying on them, they tried to protect their sovereignty, you didn't comply, they tried harder, and you complained? And you're supposed to be the good guys? 😂😂😂

I wanna correct something said at about 8:50 about the expansion of islands, because wetlands loss is a thing I've spent a lot of time studying. While China does indeed destroy the reefs and dredge, the main process by which they expand the islands (and their mainland) is land reclamation. A process by which they build dykes and slews that they fill with sediment laden water, that dries out and leaves land over time. For the point of this story, the actual mechanics of how they do it are irrelevant but it does play into Chinese expansionism as it shows just how far they will go. This exact tactic is used to smother one of the largest coastal wetlands ecosystem on earth, giving China just that little bit more shoreline, but also much less resistance against inclement weather and erosion

What about when the PLA fighters fly in front of a P8 & release chaff to be ingested by the P8 engines. How is that not a hostile act?

USS MIDWAY(CV-41) was the first carrier to transit the Straits of Hormuz and conduct flight ops inside the Persian Gulf. I should know, I was the Officer of the Deck at the time.

Oh Singapore VF-32 was there too off Indy. Boogie Street ha!

Over the period of my career, the Cold War was reaching its climax. In 1984, FLEETEX-84 was taking place. At the time, the US Navy had three CVBGs in the Sea of Japan ( Midway, Enterprise and Carl Vinson. ). It was pretty cool…multiple overflights on a daily basis of various SNA acft ( Bears, Mays, Mails, etc…). Later, while stationed in Japan VQ-1 had a detachment in Atsugi along with NAVSECGRU in Kamiseya that provided CT, ST and other personnel for operations watching the Soviet Navy. More overflight fun, plus shadowing Soviet ships, shadowing our ship ( Midway ). The Iranians shadowed the CV the entire time we were in the CVOA ( P-3F and Combatte missile PGs ). We were in plane guard when a P-3F flew over with its very unique tri-tone blue paint camo scheme. One thing that I recall as humorous was being overflown by a flight of two Ty-95 BearDs…escorted by FOUR SLUFs ( A-7Es )😂😂😂 At this timeframe Midway VF was F-4S ( 151/161 ). Kinda scary watching F-4s trapping on Midway while plane guard ship…Saw a pilot go to burner in the wires…But, it was a DARK-a**ed night!

Lots of time in the RC-135 and this is a bit close.

Thanks for answering my questions.

11:35 holy shit bing chiling moment 😂

Greetings from Singapore, have been enjoying the content you put out Ward, Cheers!

That was incredible footage ...I’ve only seen footage like that a handful f times.....