Two Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers approached Alaska Tuesday, causing the US to dispatch two F-22 stealth fighters to enter the strategic Cold War-era bombers. Tuesday's incident, which came as Russia and China kicked off massive war games in eastern Russia, marks the second time in a month US fighters have intercepted Russian bombers near Alaska. US Air Force F-22 stealth fighters intercepted two Russian strategic bombers escorted by two fighter jets near Alaska on Tuesday, marking the second time Russia has done so in a month. Two Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers, which are traditionally armed with a variety of air-launched cruise missiles, accompanied by Su-35 Flanker fighter jets were picked up by US aircraft "west of mainland Alaska," North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement Wednesday. A similar incident occurred on Sept. 1, the Washington Free Beacon first reported. A defense official told the newspaper that the Russian bombers, which entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), south of the Aleutian Islands, may have been practicing cruise missile strikes on US missile defense systems based in Alaska. The purpose of the most recent flyby is unknown, but it comes as Russia and China kick off Russia's largest war games in decades. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, as first noted by Fox News, released a video Wednesday of two Cold War bombers escorted by fighter aircraft taking off for exercises from an airbase in eastern Russia. The video is from the Vostok 2018 exercises, in which thousands of Chinese troops are training alongside hundreds of thousands of Russian forces. It is unclear if the aircraft in the video are the same ones that were intercepted near Alaska. Russia conducts operations and exercises of this nature regularly. In mid-August, Russia flew two supersonic nuclear-capable Tu-160 bombers past Alaska, demonstrating that Moscow can deploy heavy bombers close to the US. The Tu-160 bombers can can carry six standard cruise missiles and 12 short-range nuclear missiles and fly at speeds greater than two times the speed of sound. Defense officials told Fox that two Russian bombers came within 55 miles of Alaska's west coast in May, although the aircraft did not enter US airspace, as was the case in the other reported incidents. The flybys show a boldness on Russia's part as tensions between Moscow and Washington rise.<doc-sep>Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon has protested after US fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers west of Alaska, in the latest incident of its kind. F-22 Raptor fighters from NORAD intercepted and visually identified the long-range Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" bombers overnight Tuesday, said the joint US-Canadian command, charged with aerospace warning and control for North America. The four-engine Cold War-era turboprop bombers, which can carry nuclear weapons, were escorted by two Russian Su-35 fighters, NORAD said in a statement Thursday, adding that the Russian planes stayed in international airspace and never penetrated the US or Canadian zones. NORAD jets followed the Russians until they left the air defense identification zone, a perimeter in which the military surveils air traffic, and which extends for about 200 miles (320 kilometers) off Alaska. The incident took place during Russia's largest-ever military drills, Vostok-2018 with nearly 300,000 troops and all types of military equipment in eastern Siberia. NORAD commander General Terrence O'Shaughnessy said he did not see the air incident as "directly part of Vostok although it is very much related to it." In May, US fighter jets also intercepted two Russian Bear bombers in international airspace off western Alaska. In April 2017, NORAD and the Pentagon said Tu-95 bombers were spotted in international airspace on three occasions -- twice near the Aleutians and once near mainland Alaska and Canada. That was the first sighting of such Russian long-range bombers around Alaska in about two and a half years, a Pentagon spokesman said at the time. Tensions between Russia and the United States and its NATO allies are running at levels not seen since the Cold War.<doc-sep>
The Pentagon has issued a protest after U.S. Air Force fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace west of the U.S. state of Alaska. The F-22 Raptor fighters intercepted the long-range Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers overnight on September 12-13, a joint U.S.-Canadian command statement said on September 13. The U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) said the four-engine Cold War-era turboprop bombers, escorted by two Russian Su-35 fighters, stayed in international airspace and never entered U.S. or Canadian zones. The Tu-95 bombers are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the Pentagon said. The jets followed the Russian craft until they left the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone. The military monitors air traffic in the zone, which extends 320 kilometers off the Alaskan coast. The intercept occurred at the same time as Russia’s largest-ever military maneuvers, featuring some 300,000 troops, were taking place in eastern Siberia. NORAD commander General Terrence O'Shaughnessy said the Russian flights did not appear to be "directly part of [the maneuvers], although it is very much related to it. "​ It's at least the second incident to occur this month. Two U.S. Air Force jet fighters were scrambled on September 1 to escort a pair of Russia Tu-95 bombers that were conducting a flight over the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk. A NORAD spokesman told journalists the Russian bombers were flying "in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, south of the Aleutian Islands." The Russian Defense Ministry on September 7 confirmed the incident, saying the bombers were performing "scheduled flights over neutral waters" when they were escorted by the U.S. F-22 warplanes. Based on reporting by AFP and AP