Kal 007

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Peoples' thoughts on this debacle?

I've not come across anything that exonerates the Soviets here aside from what one might call unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.

Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it, as it seems, an horrific action by the USSR?

[Comrade Wolfie's Very Nearly Banned Adventures]

Well, in 1983 the US had just started the largest pacific fleet operation to date, and fighters had repeatedly overflow Soviet territory, a soviet military test was in operation at the time and a RC-135 Reconissance plane (which is based on the Boeing 747, the same plane as Kal 007) was in the area to monitor the test, and as Kal 007 had overflown soviet territory, Soviet Far East District Air Defense Forces, belived it was a second covert Reconissance plane.

When the Soviet fighter came into contact with Kal 007, it fired a warning burst, however Kal 007 contacted tokyo traffic control and accended higher, which appeard to be a evasive manuver to the Soviet fighter pilot, and as Kal 007 was approacing international waters the pilot was pressured to prevent it leaving Soviet Air space, he fired several AA missiles taking down the plane.

Kal 007 was essentially a casualty of the tense nature of the cold war, from the Soviet point of view, Kal 007 had divated from its flight plan, ignored warning signs and and was attemting to leave Soviet airspace, all of which seemed very suspicious, especially considering that the 747 is virtually the same plane as the RC-135, it could have consicivably been a covert recon attempt.

Essentially Kal 007 is more a victim of the dick waving bollocks of the cold war, than 'evil soviets'.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Actually as soon as I posted this I read up on the subject, seems more of an unfortunate dick-wagging contest, as you say.

Horrid blame on both sides though - the Americans should surely have been more careful about flying spy flight RC-135 in the path of a civilian airliner.

The soviet pilot, it seems, is somewhat delusional in thinking that he definitely saw and shot down a spy plane.

You're right though, seems an unfortunate chain of events, pilot error and cold war cock-measuring led to this :(

[stella2010]

There was a lot of stuff that happened, like any government.

All governments have theer secrets, any particular point in time you are referring to.