NORAD says they intercepted two Russian bombers in the Beaufort Sea near Alaska yesterday.
In a press release, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the Canadian-American organization tasked with monitoring and protecting the airspace around the two countries, said four fighter aircraft — two Canadian CF-18s and two American F-22s — intercepted the Russian Tu-95 Bear H bombers on August 8.
The bombers were detected in the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones, an area that covers a majority of the Bering Sea. However, NORAD said the bombers never crossed into Canadian or American sovereign airspace.
“NORAD’s top priority is defending Canada and the United States. NORAD operators identified and intercepted the Russian aircraft flying near our nations,” said General Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, the NORAD Commander, in a statement.
NORAD has an array of satellites and radars running around the clock to respond to situations like these. The organization reported that Russian reconnaissance aircraft entered Alaska’s identification zone on August 1, and more bombers in May. The Russian Bear H bomber has been in operation since the ‘50s.
“NORAD has intercepted an average of approximately six to seven Russian sorties annually entering its ADIZ since Russia resumed long range aviation patrols in 2007,” NORAD said in a statement.
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