US F-22s intercept Russian bombers, fighters
near Alaska
By Barbara Starr, Ryan Browne and Zachary Cohen,
CNN
Updated 2333 GMT (0733 HKT) May 4, 2017
Washington (CNN) Two
Russian bombers, flanked by a pair of fighter jets, were intercepted by stealth
US F-22 aircraft off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday, according to North
American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
The Russian TU-95 Bear bombers and their
SU-35 fighter jet escorts stayed in international airspace but did fly as close
to 50 miles from Point Hope, Alaska.
This is the first time Russian bombers have
been accompanied by fighters in these types of flights since 2015, a US
official told CNN.
A Russian A-50 Mainstay surveillance plane
also later flew into the area but remained in international air space and was
not intercepted.
The US military sees these flights as routine
and pose no concern, according to the US official.
Last month, Russian military aircraft were
spotted flying off the coast of Alaska four
times in as many days between April 17 and April 20.
While the Russians have not conducted flights
of this nature since 2015, a senior defense official stressed, last month, that
they are "not a concern" and attributed the uptick to a recent lack
of available Russian aircraft and need to boost training.
"We haven't seen this sort of level of
activity for a couple of years," NORAD spokesperson John Cornelio said at
the time, though he emphasized it was not "unprecedented" or
"unusual."
The US itself has carried out similar flights
along both the Chinese and Russian coasts.
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to
attribute the information to NORAD.
Original post: cnn.com
I don't think it's a big deal as CNN are making it as the US does the same thing to the Russians.....Great for the Russian Su-35s though as they can test their sensors against the F-22s......
F-22 Raptor: Details
TU-95 Bear bombers: Details
Su-35 Flanker: Details
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