U.S. Air Force scrambles F-16s to intercept Russian bombers

U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to chase away Russian bombers that approached the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on Monday.

The aircraft, which were identified on Feb. 13, did not enter United States or Canadian airspace and did not pose a threat, the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) said in a statement dated Feb. 14.

According to a statement from NORAD, Russian aircraft, which included Tu-95 BEAR-H and Su-35 fighter jets, remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

“Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the North American ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat, nor is the activity seen as provocative,” it added.

It added that the Russian flights were in no way related to the mysterious spate of airborne objects shot down by the U.S. military over North America in the past few weeks.

“NORAD had anticipated this Russian activity and, as a result of our planning, was prepared to intercept it … Two NORAD F-16 fighters intercepted the Russian aircraft,” it said.

NORAD also sent out two F-35A fighters, an E-3 Sentry, and two KC-135 Stratotankers to assist.

If you would like to show your support for what we are doing, here's where to do it.

If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

Executive Editor

About author:

Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov is the editor-in-chief of Defence Blog. He is a journalist, an accredited defense advisor, and a consultant. His background as a defense advisor and consultant adds a unique perspective to his journalistic endeavors, ensuring that his reporting is well-informed and authoritative. read more

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

TRENDING NOW

Russia adds new Felon fighters to air fleet

Russia has delivered another batch of Su-57 (NATO reporting name: Felon) fifth-generation fighter jets to the Russian Aerospace Forces, reportedly increasing the fleet by...