Two Russian nuclear-capable bombers intruded into the US air defense zone near Alaska last week, the Washington Free Bacon website quoted Pentagon officials as saying on Friday.
The Free Bacon reported that the Tu-95 Bear H bombers allegedly intruded into the Alaska zone on April 22.
However, no US interceptor jets scrambled to shadow the bombers, according to defense officials familiar with the situation.
A Russian embassy spokesman did not return an email seeking comment on the matter, the Free Bacon said.
For his part, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), declined to confirm the incursion, also saying that no attempts were made to intercept the Tu-95s.
According to the Free Bacon, last week's incident was the first alleged Russian bomber incursion of a US or Canadian air defense zone this year.
Jeff Davis was quoted by the Free Bacon as saying that last year saw US and Canadian jets intercepting Russian bombers on at least six occasions; additionally, Russian long-range warplanes were reportedly spotted on 10 separate occasions.
The latest incident comes more than three weeks after the intercept of a US RC-135 reconnaissance plane by a Russian jet over the Baltic Sea, something that the Pentagon described as "unsafe" and "unprofessional".
Howeverm, the Russian Defense Ministry denied any wrongdoing on the part of its pilots, saying that the US plane had been "steadily moving towards the Russian state border."
http://sptnkne.ws/gZC
1/5/15
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2 Russian nuclear bombers entered Alaska airspace, report says...
ReplyDeleteTwo nuclear-capable Russian bombers reportedly intruded into the U.S. air defense zone near Alaska last week.
The Washington Free Beacon, citing defense officials, reports the tu-95 Bear H bombers flew into the zone on April 22, but no U.S. jets were dispatched to intercept them.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for NORAD, declined to confirm the incursion to The Times, but said that no jets were dispatched to intercept intruding aircraft.
The incident was the first Russian bomber incursion of a U.S. or Canadian air defense zone this year. It likely signals the start of Russia’s long-range aviation training cycle, officials said.
U.S. and Canadian jets intercepted Russian bombers at least six times last year, while intruding Russian long-range aircraft were detected on 10 occasions, Davis said.
Senior military officials have said that Russia has increased bomber flights near U.S. coasts as part of a strategic messaging and influence operation....foxnews.com
2/5/15