The Shape of Things to Come

exerpt ;

PANIC ON DECK

Their appearance was as dramatic as it was unexpected. They came without warning and left in their wake a trail of confusion and shock. The Russian SU-27 and its reconnaissance escort flew in tandem, flying low and fast, exactly as if they had been on a strike mission. Their target was the prized centrepiece of the US Seventh Fleet in the Sea of Japan, the USS Kitty Hawk. Somehow, through a combination of skill and daring they evaded the radars and look-outs of an entire naval Battle-group to swoop past the aircraft carrier at its centre. If this had been for real the Kitty Hawk would have been sunk or the planes shot down; but the planes were not shot down because the Battle-fleet was taken completely by surprise, moreover this happened not just once but three times in late October and November last year. Then, as if to add insult to injury, the Russians emailed photos to the Pentagon taken by their planes as they buzzed the Kitty Hawk. Interfax quoted Russian naval spokesman Anatoly Kornukov as saying the buzzing of the USS Kitty Hawk had been a “planned operation... Our jets' appearance was a big surprise for Americans," Kornukov said. “The photos clearly show the panic on the carrier's deck.”