In what the U.S. government called a routine activity, several American fighter jets reportedly intercepted a contingent of Russian military planes in air space near Alaska on February 13.
Two F-16 fighters were responsible for intercepting the alleged Russian aircraft, which included a TU-95 BEAR-H bomber and a SU-35 fighter jet, according to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). While the TU-95 is an older design, introduced in 1956, the SU-35 is an advanced modern fighter.
“The Alaskan Region of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected, tracked, positively identified and intercepted four Russian aircraft entering and operating within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ),” the press release noted.
The Alaska ADIZ is a buffer zone in which “the ready identification, location, and control of all aircraft … is required in the interest of national security,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
NORAD further explained, “Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace.”
Additionally, “This Russian activity in the North American ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat, nor is the activity seen as provocative. NORAD had anticipated this Russian activity and, as a result of our planning, was prepared to intercept it.”
“Since Russia resumed out-of-area Long Range Aviation activity in 2007, NORAD has seen a yearly average of approximately six to seven intercepts of Russian military aircraft in the ADIZ,” the statement continued. “These numbers have varied each year from as high as 15 to as low as zero.”
David J. Kramer, the executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, explained to The Dallas Express that this “is not a new thing for us or our allies.”
“The Russian military for a number of years has been engaging in such reckless behavior as a way for Putin to thump his chess [sic] and to remind us that Russia is a force to be reckoned with,” he continued. “That image, of course, has been shattered with its disastrous invasion of Ukraine.”
Although NORAD claimed the incursion and interception were “routine,” the news comes during a time of heightened tension as several unidentified flying objects have been shot down by American jets across the county, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The press release claimed, “NORAD also assesses that this Russian flight activity is in no way related to recent NORAD and U.S. Northern Command operations associated with airborne objects over North America during the last two weeks.”
Additionally, on February 14, Dutch military planes allegedly intercepted a similar Russian aerial probe close to NATO airspace near Poland, as reported by The Epoch Times.
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Poland from February 20 to 22 “to discuss our bilateral cooperation as well as our collective efforts to support Ukraine and bolster NATO’s deterrence,” according to a White House statement.
It is unknown at this time if the recent incursions will have any effect on Biden’s travel plans.
