F-22s Intercept Six Russian Bombers and Fighters Off Alaskan Coast

NORAD Intercepts Russian Bombers and Fighters Entering Air Defense Identification Zone

(Source: NORAD; issued May 21, 2019)

An F-22 fighter from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, escorts a Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bomber off the coast of Alaska; late Monday. A total of four Tu-95s and two Su-35 fighters entered the Alaskan ADIZ on Sunday local time. (Norad photo)

PETERSON AFB, Colo. --- Two pairs of F-22s and an E-3 Airborne Early Warning and Control System from North American Aerospace Defense Command positively identified and intercepted a total of four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on May 20.

Specifically, two of the Russian bombers were intercepted by two F-22s, and a second group of bombers with Su-35 fighters was intercepted later by two additional F-22s, while the E-3 provided overall surveillance.

The Russian bombers and fighters remained in international airspace and at no time did the aircraft enter United States or Canadian sovereign airspace.

“NORAD’s top priority is defending Canada and the United States. Our ability to deter and defeat threats to our citizens, vital infrastructure, and national institutions starts with successfully detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace,” said General Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, the NORAD Commander. “NORAD is on alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

NORAD employs a layered defense network of radars, satellites, and fighter aircraft to identify aircraft and determine the appropriate response. The identification and monitoring of aircraft entering a U.S. or Canadian ADIZ demonstrates how NORAD executes its aerospace warning and aerospace control missions for the United States and Canada.

Operation NOBLE EAGLE is the name given to the military response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and applies to all air sovereignty and air defense missions in North America. NORAD is a binational command focused on the defense of both the U.S. and Canada and draws on forces from both countries.

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Strategic Missile Carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces Make Scheduled Sorties Over Neutral Waters

(Source: Russian Ministry of Defence; issued May 21, 2019)

Four Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk Seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.

At certain stages of the route, Russian aircraft were escorted by F-22 fighter jets of the USAF. The total flight time exceeded 12 hours.

Long-range pilots make regular flights over neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Black and Caspian seas, and Pacific Ocean.

All flights of the Russian Air and Space Force are carried out in strict accordance with the International Airspace Management System without violating the borders of other states.

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