On Wednesday night, two Russian Bear bombers escorted by a pair of Su-35 “Flanker” fighter jets which entered U.S. Alaska’s Air Defense Zone were intercepted. The Russian formation was escorted by a pair of U.S. Airforce F-22 stealth fighter jets that were already in the area flying a patrol about 50 miles southwest of Chariot, Alaska.
This is the first time the U.S. Air Force has seen advanced Russian Su-35 fighter jets escort Russian Cold War-era bombers near Alaska. A spokesperson for NORAD confirmed the incident that began at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday while another source from the Defense said it also occurred into Thursday.
The Russian fighter jets are said to have been unarmed and remained in international airspace, said the official.
This is not the first time this has happened. Last month, Russian bombers are reported to have flown near Alaska over four consecutive days for the first time since 2014.
A Formation of Russian Bombers which entered Alaska’s Air Defence Zone were intercepted and escorted by 2 U.S. stealth fighter jets with no incident that were already in the area patrolling.
This latest episode came a day after President Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart President Putin on the phone for the first time since the Syrian airstrike. The incident angered the Russians leading to a diplomatic spat and a war-of-words between the two countries.
The White House said Tuesday’s the conversation which was cordial focused on problems in North Korea, the Middle East although there was no mention of recent Russian provocations.
The conversation was described in a readout as “a very good one.”
President Trump recently described the relationship between Russia and the United States as at “an all-time low” since the end of the Cold War. However, General H.R. McMaster who is National Security Advisor expressed optimism telling Fox News Sunday that he didn’t think the relationship had “gotten either better or worse.”
Secretary of State Rex Tiller on the other hand agreed with the President and described US-Russia relations as being at a “low point.”
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