US fighter jets intercepted Russian bombers twice on Wednesday off the coast of Alaska, US air defense command said. The intercepts come...
US fighter jets intercepted Russian bombers twice on Wednesday off the coast of Alaska, US air defense command said.
The intercepts come less than two weeks after US bombers were met by Russian jets over the Black Sea.
North American Aerospace Defense Command said US F-22 Raptors intercepted a Russian bomber formation early Wednesday that came within 20 nautical miles of the Alaskan coast.
NORAD F-22 Raptors, supported by KC-135 Stratotankers and an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, successfully completed two intercepts of Russian bomber aircraft formations entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone last night
The Russian military aircraft came within 32 nautical miles of Alaskan shores; however, remained in international airspace and at no time did they enter United States airspace
US F-22 fighter jets intercepted two Russian TU-95 bombers, two SU-35 fighter jets and an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft (file photo from March)
The Alaska ADIZ (seen in crosshatch) extends well beyond US airspace. All civilian craft entering the zone must identify themselves. All military craft are monitored and intercepted
A NORAD F-22 (top) is seen intercepting and escorting a Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber (bottom) inside the Alaska ADIZ (file photo from 2019)
The formation consisted of two TU-95 bombers, two SU-35 fighter jets and an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft, NORAD said.
The second formation consisted of two TU-95 bombers and an A-50 and came within 32 nautical miles of Alaskan shores.
NORAD said the Russian warplanes remained in international airspace at all times and did not enter US airspace.
The United States maintains an Air Defense Identification Zone off of Alaska which extends beyond national territory to allow for a response to possibly hostile incursions.
Russian military aircraft that cross through the ADIZ on a training mission are typically allowed to continue on once identified, as long as they do not attempt to enter U.S. airspace.
'For the eighth time this year, Russian military aircraft have penetrated our Canadian or Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zones and each and every time NORAD forces were ready to meet this challenge,' said General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, the NORAD Commander.
'Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, NORAD constantly monitors the northern approaches to our nations and our operations make it clear that we will conduct homeland defense efforts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.'
In this March 9 photo released by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted near the Alaska coastline
'Flying air patrols protects the approaches to our nations and sends a clear message we continue executing our homeland defense missions with the same capability and capacity we always bring to the fight,' O'Shaughnessy said in a statement.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on May 29 that two US B-1B bombers had been intercepted by Russian warplanes during a flight over the Black Sea.
The Ministry insists that it performs its flights in compliance with the international rules of airspace, and without violating the borders of other states.
The Ministry added that its long-range pilots regularly perform flights over the international waters of the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
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