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Article: Japanese Planes Fire To Warn Soviet Bomber; Craft Entered Airspace Over Okinawa
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 10, 1987
- Author:
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Japanese fighter jets fired shots yesterday to warn off a Soviet
bomber flying over the Japanese island of Okinawa, where one of the
largest U.S. bases is located.
Japanese fighters routinely intercept Soviet bombers that fly
near or over Japanese airspace, but this was the first time since the
end of World War II that Japanese aircraft have fired live ammunition
at a Soviet plane, Japanese Defense Agency officials said yesterday.
According to agency officials, tracer bullets and ammunition were
fired only after the Soviet Tu16 Badger bomber failed to respond to
less aggressive warnings by radio.
The Soviet plane flew over the Okinawan islands twice, for a
total of about 10 minutes, ...