OVER THE EASTERN CHINA – “Come back,” the Chinese air traffic controller warned. “You are now approaching Chinese airspace. Return immediately or you will be intercepted. “
The B-52 crew, which was 100 miles off the coast of China, rejected the warning that sounded on the radio, and the 60-year-old aircraft kept its course.
This was a bomber presence mission, a rotating flight designed to demonstrate the long coverage of the US military and to support the right of international passage in the disputed airspace.
It was also a window into the Pentagon’s plan to rely on aircraft from the early days of the Cold War to prepare for future wars.
The February mission began at dawn, at the base of the Andersen Air Force in Guam, when the crew wore oxygen masks and “poopy suits”, fluffy outerwear to keep the cold in case the plane was forced to give up the ocean.