US fighter jets intercept Russian bombers near Alaska
American fighter jets intercepted Russian bombers that flew near Alaska, heading for large-scale military exercises, reports the Voice of America.
“Two F-22 Raptor jets based in Alaska intercepted and visually identified two Tu-95 bombers that flew over the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), south of the Aleutian Islands,” said the representative of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Michael Kucharek, as quoted by Business Insider.
It is noted that two Russian TU-95 bombers were intercepted and were under observation until they left the ADIZ zone.
Although the incident ended peacefully, the official told the American edition of the Washington Free Beacon that the Russian bombers may have trained to strike against US anti-missile systems and radars located in Alaska.
The impact of strikes on key US targets may correspond to the stated goals of large-scale Russian military exercises, the newspaper notes. According to previously received reports, during these exercises, Russia and China plan to practice on scenarios for conducting nuclear war.
The Tupolev Tu-95 is a large, four-engine strategic bomber and missile platform. The Tu-95 entered service with the Soviet Union in 1956 and is expected to serve the Russian Aerospace Forces until at least 2040.