Two U.S Air Force stealth fighter jets intercepted two Russian nuclear-capable bombers Friday in international airspace off the coast of Alaska.
The approach by the two Tupolev Tu-95 Russian "Bear" aircraft marked the first time in just over a year that Russian bombers had flown that close to U.S. territory, bearing about 200 miles off Alaska’s west coast, about 10 a.m. EST (1400 GMT), North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command spokesman Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy said in a statement to CNN.
The F-22s monitored the Russian aircraft until the bombers left the Air-defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) along the Aleutian Islands, heading west. At no time did the bombers enter North American sovereign airspace, said Hennessey.
Russian bombers TU-95 and TU-142 were escorted by two F-22 fighter jets in international airspace for 40 minutes, the Russian military was quoted as saying on Saturday.
The U.S. fighter jets did not get closer than 100 meters to the Russian bombers.
