Soviet Spy Planes over the West during the Cold War

I've noticed that by doing a Google search, you can come up with all
kinds of data about U.S. and western countries flying recon flights
over Soviet and other Communist territory during the Cold War
along with a list of shootdowns.

I'm sure there were also Soviet recon flights over and near
Western territory during the Cold War, but no one seems to
mention it. Does anyone have a list of incidents?

Two incidents I have found are overflights of the Italian and
Turkish Jupiter missile sites.

A Google search found this May 2001 message:

"In 1962, a Bulgarian MiG-17 recon airplane crashed into an olive grove near
one of the Italian Launch Sites, after overflying the site."

George Smith, who installed Jupiter missiles in Turkey in 1961 also
mentioned a MiG crash near the Turkish Jupiter sites. He said film
was recovered from the wreckage.

Does anyone have any more info about the above incidents or other
overflight incidents?

- Rusty Barton
--

"Rusty B" wrote in message
m...
I've noticed that by doing a Google search, you can come up with all
kinds of data about U.S. and western countries flying recon flights
over Soviet and other Communist territory during the Cold War
along with a list of shootdowns.

I'm sure there were also Soviet recon flights over and near
Western territory during the Cold War, but no one seems to
mention it. Does anyone have a list of incidents?

Two incidents I have found are overflights of the Italian and
Turkish Jupiter missile sites.

A Google search found this May 2001 message:

"In 1962, a Bulgarian MiG-17 recon airplane crashed into an olive grove
near
one of the Italian Launch Sites, after overflying the site."

George Smith, who installed Jupiter missiles in Turkey in 1961 also
mentioned a MiG crash near the Turkish Jupiter sites. He said film
was recovered from the wreckage.

Does anyone have any more info about the above incidents or other
overflight incidents?

If you stretch the definition of "overflight" a bit, there was the Soviet
Tu-16 that did a low level over and around a USN CVBG, then dipped a wingtip
into the water and cartwheeled in (photos available on the web--saw thenm
rather recently). There were also reports that the Soviets used Aeroflot
aircraft configured with cameras to do some surveillance work on the way
into New York and Washington, DC. Then there was this offering regarding
Soviet incursions into Japanese airspace: "Japan's airspace was violated 350
times in 1986 by Soviet aircraft. There were 36 incursions this January
alone." (www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/ pages/index.cfm?pageid=564 ) In the
end the comparitive openess of western antions did not require the Soviets
to go to the lengths that nations like the US and UK had to resort to in
order to gain information about military developments.

Brooks


- Rusty Barton
--

Rusty B wrote:
I've noticed that by doing a Google search, you can come up with all
kinds of data about U.S. and western countries flying recon flights
over Soviet and other Communist territory during the Cold War
along with a list of shootdowns.

I'm sure there were also Soviet recon flights over and near
Western territory during the Cold War, but no one seems to
mention it. Does anyone have a list of incidents?

Two incidents I have found are overflights of the Italian and
Turkish Jupiter missile sites.

A Google search found this May 2001 message:

"In 1962, a Bulgarian MiG-17 recon airplane crashed into an olive grove near
one of the Italian Launch Sites, after overflying the site."

George Smith, who installed Jupiter missiles in Turkey in 1961 also
mentioned a MiG crash near the Turkish Jupiter sites. He said film
was recovered from the wreckage.

Does anyone have any more info about the above incidents or other
overflight incidents?

- Rusty Barton

Rusty -

This has been extensively discussed here in the past; go back, for
example, and search around the time a US recon plane was forced down in
China after colliding with a Chinese fighter.

The Soviets didn't need to do recon flights using sophisticated
dedicated planes, so there is little in the way of "incidents" in the
same sense.

Since the US is a free country, they can drive up to the gates, take
pictures, drive to a nearby hill, take pictures, rent a chopper and do a
near-by fly-by and take pictures, rent a nearby apartment and watch and
count traffic... see a pattern here? A free country means it is much
easier to conduct the type of recon that required the US to use recon
overflights over communist, closed countries.

The closest the Western Countries have to such incidents is when they
bounce a Soviet out for spying; see, for example:

- http://www.iwar.org.uk/news-archive/...e/03-22-01.htm
-
http://www.parliament.the-stationery.../Debate-1.html
- http://www.cipherwar.com/news/01/rus...l_expelled.htm
- http://www.therussiajournal.com/index.htm?obj=4376

Rusty B wrote:

I've noticed that by doing a Google search, you can come up with all
kinds of data about U.S. and western countries flying recon flights
over Soviet and other Communist territory during the Cold War
along with a list of shootdowns.

I'm sure there were also Soviet recon flights over and near
Western territory during the Cold War, but no one seems to
mention it. Does anyone have a list of incidents?

Two incidents I have found are overflights of the Italian and
Turkish Jupiter missile sites.

A Google search found this May 2001 message:

"In 1962, a Bulgarian MiG-17 recon airplane crashed into an olive grove near
one of the Italian Launch Sites, after overflying the site."

George Smith, who installed Jupiter missiles in Turkey in 1961 also
mentioned a MiG crash near the Turkish Jupiter sites. He said film
was recovered from the wreckage.

Does anyone have any more info about the above incidents or other
overflight incidents?

- Rusty Barton
--


Used to be fairly regular - once or twice a year - press items, usually
with photographs, of Soviet Recc. flights being intercepted by the RCAF
(back when we had an airforce with the range to do it) off the coasts of
Canada.

I personally observed an incident with an "Aeroflot" AN-22 flying into
Halifax back in 1968-70 which was given very specific missed approach
instructions and, on a perfectly clear VFR day, missed the approach and
completely disregarded the instrucions to make a slow pass over the
Naval Dockyard. Funny the difficulty they had understanding the missed
approach instructions since when I talked to the crew after landing
their command of English seemed to be very good. Not a total loss
though; I shot a few rolls of film and sold them to Aviation Week!


Dave

"Stop SPAM" wrote in message
...


Rusty -

This has been extensively discussed here in the past; go back, for
example, and search around the time a US recon plane was forced down in
China after colliding with a Chinese fighter.


In international airspace

The Soviets didn't need to do recon flights using sophisticated
dedicated planes, so there is little in the way of "incidents" in the
same sense.


So if they didnt do recon flights what were all those Soviet aircraft
flying along the British coast doing ?

Since the US is a free country, they can drive up to the gates, take
pictures, drive to a nearby hill, take pictures, rent a chopper and do a
near-by fly-by and take pictures, rent a nearby apartment and watch and
count traffic... see a pattern here? A free country means it is much
easier to conduct the type of recon that required the US to use recon
overflights over communist, closed countries.


The reality is that Soviet 'civilian' aircraft were know to 'stray'
from their flightpaths from time to time but recon birds were
supplanted by satellites.

Keith

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 09:21:31 -0800, Rusty B wrote:

I've noticed that by doing a Google search, you can come up with all
kinds of data about U.S. and western countries flying recon flights
over Soviet and other Communist territory during the Cold War
along with a list of shootdowns.

Well, the regular Aeroflot Montreal to New York leg of their
Moscow-New York route had a disturbing tendency to veer off
track near the Rome NY facility. And I'm sure there may have
been other incidents as well.

IBM

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This is my list of everything I have been able to find:
http://home.sprynet.com/~anneled/ColdWar.html