Russian Su-27s in Japanese Airspace Violation Row

07/02/2013 by Paul Fiddian - Armed Forces International's Lead Reporter

A pair of Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 air superiority fighters reportedly entered Japan's airspace earlier today, prompting the Japanese Air Self Defence Force to scramble its own F-2 combat jets to see them off.

The reported Japanese airspace intrusion lasted barely 60 seconds but, in its wake, officials in Japan have lodged a formal complaint with their counterparts in Russia.

According to the Russia Defense Ministry, it didn't happen at all. Rather, the aircraft involved were carrying out standard flights close to Hokkaido Island. These flights, the Ministry explained, were in "strict conformity with international rules without any border violations."

Japanese Airspace Violation

The alleged Japanese airspace violation took place as, at ground level, a rally was in progress: its subject, the ongoing Japanese-Russian dispute over four islands. Known in Japan as the ‘Northern Territories' and, to the Russia population, as the ‘Southern Kurils', these islands have been the subject of an ownership contest for more than six decades.

The failure to resolve this dispute means, technically, Russia and Japan are still at war, even though WW2 ended in 1945.

Just before the alleged airspace infringement, Shinzo Abe - the Japanese Prime Minister - had launched a fresh new appeal to try and clear up the islands issue once and for all. "In the telephone talks, I told President Putin I would make efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution so as to ultimately solve the issue of the Northern Territories", he explained in a statement.

Russian Su-27s Airspace Row

The Russian Su-27s at the heart of this airspace row are a mainstay of the country's air superiority capabilities. First flown in 1977, it entered service in 1984 and, since then, there have been a large number of upgrades and developments.

The Su-27 has a top speed of Mach 2.35, a range of 3,530 kilometres and a service ceiling of over 60,000 feet. Equipped with a 30mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 cannon, it can also carry six AA-10 Alamo and a pair of AA-11 Archer air-to-air missiles on underwing pylons.

The Mitsubishi F-2 multirole fighter made its first flight in 1995 and joined the Japanese Air Self Defence Force five years later. Heavily influenced by the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon design, it can travel at Mach 2.0 and is compatible with the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles.