U.S. Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Bombers Off Alaska Coast

A pair of Russian bombers were intercepted by two U.S. stealth fighters off the coast of Alaska on Friday, officials said.

Two Russian TU-95 “Bear” bombers were seen flying into the Air Defense Identification Zone, about 200 miles off the western coast of Alaska, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Around 10 a.m. ET, two Alaska-based NORAD F-22 fighters intercepted and identified the Russian bombers, spokesperson Canadian Army Maj. Andrew Hennessy said in a statement.

The Russian bomber aircrafts were “intercepted and monitored by the F-22s until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Island chain heading west,” Hennessy said. The bombers never entered U.S. airspace, he said.

The incident marks the latest in a series of encounters between Russian and American jets. CNN reports U.S. F-22s intercepted Russian bombers in a similar incident near Alaska in May 2017. Military officials said at the time that the flights were routine and of no concern.