The military says it intercepted two Russian long-range bombers in the air space near Alaska on Friday.
The Air Force Times reports that officials with the North American Aerospace Defense Command said the incident took place over international waters north of the Aleutian chain. F-22 Raptor fighter jets were dispatched from Alaska to intercept the Russian Tu-95 Bear Bombers, which never entered actual U.S. air space, and were escorted away without any problems.
Such incidents are fairly routine in the airspace around Alaska. There were multiple interceptions last summer after a lull in 2016. Elsewhere around the globe this year, U.S. planes were escorted away by Russian aircraft in the Black Sea region.
While there is nothing illegal about the probing flights, the tactic is seen as a mild provocation and way of testing an adversary’s air defense response capabilities.
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
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