RAF Jets Intercept Russian Planes

That is not true Stu, and you will be hard pressed to find any legal charter which supports that notion. According to international law, a country's sovereign airspace is consistent with the maritime definition of territorial waters as being 12 nautical miles out from a nation's coastline. Airspace beyond that 12 nautical miles is considered international. For example, the FAA describes US airspace extending out 12 nautical miles and extending up to 600,000 Ft. Notice that does not include LEO because no country can "own" space.

And as far as I'm aware there is no aerial EEZ...

3-2-2. Class A Airspace

a. Definition. Generally, that airspace from 18,000 feet MSL up to and including FL 600, including the airspace overlying the waters within 12 nautical miles of the coast of the 48 contiguous States and Alaska; and designated international airspace beyond 12 nautical miles of the coast of the 48 contiguous States and Alaska within areas of domestic radio navigational signal or ATC radar coverage, and within which domestic procedures are applied.

FAA Definition

[edit on 20-5-2007 by WestPoint23]

Originally posted by WestPoint23

And as far as I'm aware there is no aerial EEZ...

Never said there was!

What I am referring to is the fact that International Airspace is supposed to be analogous to International Waters. If International waters do not begin until 200 NM out, then logically, International Airspace follows suit.

I've gone back to the article I read about it on and it would seem that they have the wording wrong. They equate the High Seas/International Waters as anything beyond the 12 mile limit, whereas international law actually states that International waters do not begin until out of the EEZ. So them being wrong about where International Waters start set me off on the wrong track!

So, it would seem, that a confused web site confused me!

Sorry peeps...

Stu, I think this is what's confusing, the seas after the 12 nautical mile sovereign boundary all the way to the 200 mile limit of the EEZ grant right of passage, but not right of economic development (resources etc...). It is considered international waters in the the sense that you can navigate in it unopposed, however true international waters (meaning you can do whatever you please) doe not begin until outside the EEZ. Even if this concept applied to the air the Russians were in complete compliance, they have right of passage outside the 12 nautical mile airspace boundary.

[edit on 20-5-2007 by WestPoint23]

Indeedy..

Aside from the question of territorial rights, surely if there is a military exercise taking place (wherever it be), then airspace can be restricted?

In a legal sense, the law is not precisely clear, regarding precedent and practicality however the answer is yes, which is why the Russian AC were escorted away. Even thought they technically had a "right" to be there. It's the same as a US CBG placing a 100-200 mile off limit zone around a carrier, technically we can't do that but we have at times enforced such a policy given the circumstances.