One of the problems of the US Navy subhunters are their slower planes which are regularly harassed by flyers trying to scare them with unsafe flying.
It is not uncommon for US military aircraft to get unsafe welcomes from Chinese or Russian fighters. This is common in international airspace which is a bit unsettling, when aircrews aren't ready for it, reported Business Insider.
According to US Navy Capt. Erin Osborne, Wing Ten commodore, told Insider that there are only a small number of incidences of these unsafe and unprofessional flying when on a mission. Most US and NATO flyer are used to this behavior by adversarial pilots.
One example is the encounter with Russian Su-35 superiority fighters that interdicted a US Navy P-8A Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft unsafely. The modified airframe of the P-8A makes it slow, so the Su-35 can run after it easily.
During the intercept, the Su-35 made a fast acceleration inverted maneuver about 25 ft. of the front of the slower sub hunter. It was a dead ringer for top gun flying.
Another incident is when two planes, sandwiched a larger P-8 nearly wingtip to wingtip that limited its evasive options, cited in Task and Purpose.
Boeing P-8A Poseidon has a crew of nine controlling torpedoes and superior sensors to kill enemy subs. Another job is maritime surveillance that brings it to such instances a lot.
They are the replacements to the older Lockheed's P-3 Orion, the P-8A Poseidon has upgrades in advanced maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities as the best sub hunters. Missions of the P-8As are sea recon, anti-drug operation, collecting intel, last is search and rescue.
It cannot be avoided when a military plane of other nations checks upon them.
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Osborne said that getting intercepted is normal, usually checking what a US plane is up to. Overseeing all the training, putting crews, and arming the P-8 is part of the job.
She added that encounters with other flyers from rival air forces are mostly professional, all the P-8 personnel always think unsafe encounters will not happen. Though most are trained for situations too.
Osborne stress that getting intercepted is stressful, especially of another plane is too close for comfort. To have the P-8 personnel ready, training is done to temper the crews and keep their composure on mission.
To simulate such unsafe contact, the US Navy will conduct similar actions with EA-18G Growler. The Growler will teach the crews how to survive and get used to similar stressful conditions.
When on training, the tactical aircraft will do what is needed to demo all unsafe moves a pilot can commit. Osborne punctuated that all crews must know everything about unsafe interception when flying.
Such maneuvers are under run when a plane positions on the P-8, but goes under the plane. She said that all crews must understand what these planes do. Adding that a P-8 can do little against unsafe flying, because of low maneuverability.
When intercepts with the P-8 happens it is quiet, but some silent and or nonverbal communication can be done. The duration of intercepts vary but most go separate ways in the majority of cases.
Accidents have happened like the collision of one J-8 collided with an EP-3E Ares II signals intelligence aircraft, 70 miles from Hainan. It forces the damaged plane to land in China.
Unsafe flying is rare with US Navy sub hunters when most are professional and safe too.
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