US jets intercept Russian aircraft near Alaska

Russian aircraft intercepted in Bering Sea, north of Aleutian Islands

WASHINGTON: US fighter jets intercepted two Russian aircraft near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said Thursday.

"F-22 fighters, supported by KC-135 Stratotanker and E-3 AWACS aircraft from the North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted two Russian IL-38 aircraft entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone," it said on Twitter of the encounter Wednesday.

The Russian aircraft were intercepted in the Bering Sea, north of the Aleutian Islands, and did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace, said the command.

"COVID-19 or not, NORAD continues actively watching for threats and defending the homelands 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year," said NORAD Commander General Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy.

"This is the latest of several occasions in the past month in which we have intercepted Russian aircraft operating near the approaches to our nations. We continue to execute our no-fail homeland defence missions with the same capability and capacity we always bring to the fight," it said.

Separately, in March, US F-22 stealth jets and Canadian CF-18 fighters intercepted two Russian reconnaissance aircraft while flying off the Alaskan coast.