U.S. Air Force B-52H nuclear-capable bomber was intercepted and escorted by three Sukhoi Sukhoi Su-35SE Flanker fighter jets during a flight over neutral waters over Pacific Ocean.
Accordingt to the Russian National Defense Command Center, air defense radars on duty in the Eastern Military Region on Sunday spotted an air target over the Pacific Ocean that was approaching Russia’s airspace.
“In order to identify and escort the foreign plane three Sukhoi-35S fighter planes of the Eastern Military Region’s air defense were scrambled. The fighters’ crews identified the target as a strategic B-52H bomber of the US Air Force and escorted it over the Pacific Ocean. There were no violations of Russia’s state border or dangerous proximity of planes in the air,” the center said.
The U.S military aircraft remained in international airspace and at no time did they enter Russian sovereign airspace.
According to the Russian military, the Su-35S fighters returned to base after the U.S. plane moved away from the Russian border.