What does it mean when a fighter jet swings its wings?

Airplanes communicate with each other in various ways. Contacting the other pilot by radio is the easiest choice, but what if the radio doesn’t work or doesn’t work? That’s when pilots use formal visual indicators, including hand or head movements, flashing lights, or aircraft movement, to describe a variety of circumstances.

Imagine a situation where a fighter pilot wanders across the border of another country without permission. If the communication with the air traffic controller did not take place, for example jet 7700a couple of fighter jets will probably be raised to investigate. This situation can be considered an emergency because people on the ground are not sure about the intentions of the invasion pilots. Therefore, it is not unheard of for fighter-interceptors to go supersonic to catch up with an unknown aircraft, and when these jet supercruisesthe result is a deafening roar of sound.

The US military’s intercept procedure typically involves two interceptor aircraft approaching an unidentified aircraft from behind. One jet flanks the plane to see its pilot, while another follows in uniform to announce that it has been officially intercepted. At this point, the pilot of the offending vessel should tilt or shake the wings of his aircraft from side to side, demonstrating that he understands the situation. If it is night, they must also flash their navigation lights.

Interception as a means of intimidation

Interceptions occur frequently around the world, usually ending in a simple escort out of the zone. For example, the joint US-Canadian military command NORAD says it intercepts an average of six to seven Russian military aircraft each year that have drifted into restricted airspace around Alaska. While these situations are usually resolved without incident, some contacts have been less friendly, such as this September of this year, pictured above, when a Russian jet came very close to an American F-16.

In another part of the world, as US Navy P-8A patrol planes flew over part of the Mediterranean Sea in 2022, they were intercepted by two Russian Su-35s. But instead of staying a safe distance away, Russian pilots came dangerously close, coming within 5 feet — and around the same time there were two more reckless collisions between U.S. and Russian planes. Flying so close to other aircraft creates the potential for collisions and introduces risk factors such as wake turbulence and exposure to exhaust fumes.

Tension between America and Russia goes back decades, and the US feared Soviet fighter jets during the Cold War. Retired US Navy Commander Guy Snodgrass, veteran Top Gun pilot and trainer Business Insider: “Russia has conducted incredibly aggressive intercepts for decades as a way to intimidate aircrews or try to force them to leave the area.”