U.S. fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian warplanes near Alaska
U.S. fighter jets were scrambled Wednesday to identify and intercept four Russian warplanes flying near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement.
NORAD said two Russian Tu-95 long-range strategic bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets were flying in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which is international airspace that abuts U.S. and Canadian sovereign airspace.
NORAD responded Wednesday by sending an E-3 early warning and control aircraft, along with four F-16s and four KC-135 tanker planes, “to positively identify and intercept” the Russian aircraft in the Alaskan ADIZ.
NORAD said Russian military activity in the ADIZ is common and not considered a threat, but it was the latest in a series of flights by Russian aircraft seen by many as testing the preparedness of U.S. and allied NATO nations. It came as officials in Denmark continued investigating still-unattributed, large drones that flew close to Copenhagen Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday, disrupting traffic. [Continue reading…]