Two Russian nuclear-capable bombers accompanied by two fighter jets were identified and intercepted by two F-22 Raptor fighters with North American Aerospace Defense Command on Tuesday “west of mainland Alaska.”
Although the Russian aircraft — two Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets — did not cross into U.S. or Canadian airspace, the incident marks the second time in September that Russian bombers have approached Alaska.
“The homeland is no longer a sanctuary and the ability to deter and defeat threats to our citizens, vital infrastructure, and national institutions starts with successfully detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace,” Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, the NORAD commander, said in a statement. “NORAD employs a layered defense network of radars, satellites, as well as fighters to identify aircraft and determine the appropriate response.”
— NORAD & USNORTHCOM (@Norad_Northcom) September 12, 2018
Russia verified that Russian bombers had been intercepted earlier this month.
“Tu-95 MS strategic long-range bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces performed scheduled flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement to TASS, a Russian news outlet. “At some stages of the route, the aircraft of Russia’s Aerospace Forces were escorted by two F-22 fighter jets of the US Air Force.”
Additionally, two Russian Tu-95 bombers and a Tu-142 maritime surveillance planes were also intercepted near Alaska in May.
NORAD is a joint U.S.-Canadian command that works to defend air sovereignty of North America and protect the continent against aerospace threats.
