http://freebeacon.com/national-secur...strikes-on-us/
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Russian President Vladimir Putin Takes Helm In Biggest Nuclear Test & Will Not Renew Arms Agreement With U.S.
The downing of Flight 007: 30 years later, a Cold War tragedy still seems surreal
[T]he 747 [KAL 007] took off for Seoul at 4 a.m. local time, the crew set their autopilot. What they apparently didn't know was, it was set to fail.
The plane began drifting off its intended course and heading toward Soviet territory.
Hours later, passengers heard the familiar crew announcement, "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing at Seoul Gimpo International Airport in about three hours. Local time in Seoul right now is 3 a.m. Before landing, we will be serving beverages and breakfast, thank you."
But sadly, there would be no landing.
Twenty-six minutes later, the captain was announcing an emergency descent and ordering crew to put on oxygen masks.
Soviet fighter pilot: 'I had a job to do'
As it neared Soviet airspace, Flight 007 was being tracked at military installations. Soviet fighter pilots and their commanders knew they were being watched, too. U.S. spy planes patrolling the region created a constant state of tension, they said later.
American surveillance aircraft included Boeing RC-135s, the military version of a Boeing 707, which looked very much like a civilian airliner.
Packed with electronic surveillance gear, RC-135s often flew figure-eight patterns near passenger routes....
By this time, Flight 007 had deviated more than 200 miles from its planned route.
Commanders at Dolinsk-Sokol airbase scrambled two Sukhoi Su-15 fighter jets and ordered them to intercept the airliner.
"The idea that Soviet fighter jets would shoot down a Boeing 747 airliner seems shockingly unbelievable. Two-hundred sixty-nine innocent people died in a largely forgotten Cold War attack..."
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/31/us/kal...7-anniversary/