The U.S. military intercepted six Russian military jets off the coast of Alaska on Thursday night, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said Friday.
U.S. F-22 fighter jets, supported by
KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, intercepted three groups of two Russian
Tu-142 patrol jets that entered the Alaskan defense Identification Zone, NORAD
said during a news release.
The Russian jets, which came within 50
nautical miles of the Alaskan shore, stayed in international airspace, NORAD
said.
The Russian planes "loitered"
within the defense identification zone for about five hours, the discharge
added.
"Our northern approaches have had a
rise in foreign military activity as our competitors still expand their
military presence and probe our defenses," NORAD commander Gen. Glen
VanHerck said during a statement. "This year, we've conducted quite a
dozen intercepts, the foremost in recent years. The importance of our continued
efforts to project defense operations in and thru the north has never been more
apparent."
The encounter within the sky came hours
after the U.S. military said a Russian submarine surfaced near Alaska.
U.S. Northern Command tweeted Thursday
night that it had been "closely monitoring" the submarine.
"The current Russian maritime
activity is happening in high sea well outside the U.S. territorial sea,"
Northern Command added. "We haven't received any requests for assistance
from the Russian Navy or other mariners within the area
The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday
it had been conducting major naval drills near Alaska, consistent with The
Associated Press.
Russian navy chief Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov
said quite 50 warships and about 40 aircraft were participating within the
Bering Sea exercise, including several practice missile launches, the AP
reported.
The us and its allies conducted their own
major show of force Friday.
Nuclear-capable U.S. B-52 bombers, joined
at various points by aircraft from quite a dozen NATO allies, flew over all 30
NATO countries Friday during a mission the U.S. military said was meant’ to
point out alliance solidarity.
"U.S. security commitments to the
NATO alliance remain ironclad," Gen. Tod Wolters, commander of U.S.
European Command, said during a statement about the bomber exercise, dubbed
"Allied Sky." "Today's bomber task force mission is another
example of how the alliance sustains readiness, improves interoperability and
demonstrates our ability to deliver on commitments from across the
Atlantic."
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