European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                File intercepts of soviet Turboprop bears along the . East coast Are on Rise despite easing of .-soviet  for Bear by Mitchell Miller United press International although peace seems to be breaking out All Over and communism is crumbling in Eastern Europe the soviets Are busier than Ever carrying out electronic surveillance off the . Atlantic coast. No one has any ready explanation for the stepped up Pace of soviet reconnaissance but the numbers Are compelling. . Aircraft made five intercepts of soviet Bear recon aircraft off the East coast in february compared with four such intercepts for All of 1989, said capt. Larry Jenkins a spokesman for tac air come at Langley fab a. The lumbering Turboprop Tu-95 Bear is and Tu-142 Bear is Are typically met by air Force f-15s and f-16s and by Navy f-14s after being tracked by radar. In one instance this year a soviet Bear flew within 90 Miles of Norfolk va., Home of the largest . Naval installation. A few Days earlier on feb. 13, a Bear flew within 80 Miles of Jacksonville Fla., another major Navy port and airbase Complex. Quot we still have soviet aircraft going up and Down the East coast Quot Jenkins said noting that two additional intercepts were reported by the canadians. The soviet reconnaissance and Antisubmarine aircraft which Are similar in size to the b-52 bomber have been flying along the East coast for years often coming up from Cuba. A Bear season Quot As pilots refer to it occurs in Early Spring and fall. The soviet aircraft have dropped As Low As 500 feet to get a closer look at . Navy ships and Are known for snooping around sea trials. In 1987, they were observed dropping sonar buoys used to detect submarines off the Florida coast. Soviet aircraft that enter the offshore air defense identification zone Are immediately tracked and followed by . Aircraft and radar. The zone extends about 150-250 Miles from the Atlantic coast. Since the frigid Days of the cold War the 48th fighter interceptor so based at Langley has been on 24-hour Alert for the soviet aircraft which Are identified on radar by their meandering flight patterns. As part of the nations first line of defense the f-15s housed at Langley must be ready to soar off the ground in less than five minutes from scramble. The Squadron has been on air defense Alert since 1953, 365 Days a year. Capt. Mike Jones was one of the first american pilots to Chase Down a Bear this year. He says that he and another Pilot were on Standard 24-hour Alert at Langley when the lights and horns went off Early feb. 9, signalling a scramble. In seconds they were Rushing to two f-15s and doors to the hangar were going up. The aircraft Are Quot cocked Quot with navigational equipment All set pilots have Only to trip a few switches before blasting into the air. Quot the Jet s ready before our bodies Are Quot Jones said. The pilots Fly in pairs usually at around 30,000 feet. The sortie can last from three to four hours using up More than 12 tons of fuel. On this Day two soviet beards and a Bear of were detected by an e-3 airborne warning and control systems aircraft. Detection of the three planes triggered a Quick and complicated set of message relays that crossed the country. Before the two subsonic beards had left the coast they had been intercepted by two f-4d jets from Seymour Johnson fab . Two f-16s from Jacksonville and two f-15s from Tyndall fab Fla. The fighters were vectored onto their targets by a control system that stretches from the coast All the Way Back to North american air defense come Headquarters in Colorado Springs Colo. The closest soviet approach to the United states was about 200 Miles East of Savannah a. In a separate action Jones and another Pilot from Langley intercepted the Bear of 225 Miles off the coast of Norfolk. Although the f-15s Are armed with medium Range missiles Jones said the main objective is simply to let the soviets know that they have moved too close to the . Coast. Pilots from both countries usually wave and then Start taking pictures of each others aircraft. Quot we go Down and get up close and personal. Nobody wants to cause an International incident so nobody s going to go up there and try to Hurt anybody Quot said Jones 32, of Orange Park Fla. Capt. Mike Bloomfield another Pilot at Langley agreed. He pointed out that american pilots can use the body language of their Jet fighters to let the soviets know if they re moving in too close. A fall we know is that if they get close to the Mainland we need to show them we can intercept them Quot said Bloomfield 30, a native of Lake Fenton Mich. Quot we re not going to Start world War  pilots Jones and Bloomfield said glasnost and the historic changes now taking place in the soviet Union Haven t changed their Basic Mission. Quot they re who we train to beat Quot Jones said As jets roared overhead. But we re ready if one of them wants to defect Quot he said of the soviet pilots. Quot Well show him where to  red army soldiers face a growing uneasiness As things in the soviet Union continue to change. Jose minister Dmitri Yazoo told the government of paper Izvestia. Hese anti army actions Are accompanied by its of physical violence and insults addressed to by men and the staff of military commissariat Quot v said referring to the officers responsible for be and for promoting the communist party me anti draft picketers rough up draftees who let selves be inducted chief of staff Gen. Moiseyev n an interview earlier this month with Tass the tement news Agency. Moreover he said local Al cities in the republics condoned such activity by in fencing draft evaders. Soviet males Are liable for military service once urn 18. They serve a minimum of two years if Ted for the army and three years if chosen for the 1 drafts Are held twice a year in the Spring and fall ext is in april. Pause of unilateral manpower cuts and additional a Lions anticipated after a conventional forces p on treaty s completed some soviet experts p Gorbachev will announce an All Volunteer army fits year. Other the soviet Economy can afford higher a to attract volunteers is questionable. While earn Between 200 and 400 rubles a month 0 a not bad by soviet standards a draftees Sven rubles a $11.20. The stars and stripes a a a Page 15