Pilot Houseman: Soviet pilots joked during the interception of US aircraft during the Cold War US fighters in the midst of the Cold War. The Theaviationgeekclub portal writes about this with reference to a collection of stories dedicated to the Douglas F3D Skyknight air missions.
“They intercepted us and reported that we were photographing them – we really had 35mm handheld cameras. The Russians reported by radio that they were being filmed and asked what they should do. Then one of the dispatchers decided to joke and answered: “Smile.” Who would have thought that Russians generally have a sense of humor, “Chuck Houseman said.
An excerpt from the book also notes that American pilots collecting intelligence near the Far East considered Soviet pilots friendly by comparison with pilots from other communist countries. Meetings in the air, according to the author of the collection – aviation expert Joe Kopalman, were calm: the United States did not violate state borders and performed its tasks within the international space.
Earlier, the Chief of Defense Staff of Great Britain, General Sir Nick Carter, said, that relations between Russia and the West are now more tense than during the Cold War. According to him, this could lead to war due to “accident”.