Dramatic video shows fighter jets surrounding Russian aircraft off coast of Alaska
Russian planes came dangerously close to an American fighter jet that was supposed to intercept them off the coast of Alaska.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on September 23.
NORAD has deployed four F-16s and a reconnaissance aircraft to escort the Russian formation through the zone, a spokesperson said. Alaska Public Media.
Video of the interaction shows a Russian jet flying past an American plane and quickly veering left and right.
“The behavior of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional and put everyone at risk – not what you would see in a professional air force,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot.
NORAD detected and tracked four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on September 23
Video of the interaction shows a Russian jet flying past an American plane and quickly veering left and right
The Russian formation included two Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers and two Su-35 Flanker fighter jets.
NORAD said the Russian plane remained in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace.
“This Russian activity in Alaska’s ADIZ is common and is not considered a threat,” the agency said.
An increase in Russian military aircraft and ships near US territory prompted the US to move 130 soldiers along with mobile missile launchers to a deserted island in Alaska earlier in September.
Eight Russian military aircraft and four naval ships – including two submarines – have come close to the ‘final frontier’ in the past week, as Russia and China have conducted joint military exercises from September 10.
A Pentagon spokesperson said there is no cause for concern as the planes have not yet breached US airspace.
“It’s not the first time we’ve seen the Russians and the Chinese flying in the area and that’s obviously something we’re watching closely,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference.
An increase in Russian military aircraft and ships near US territory prompted the US to move 130 soldiers to Alaska
U.S. Army soldiers maneuver through the dense terrain of Shemya Island, Alaska, on September 13, as part of a force projection operation to the remote island in the North Pacific Ocean.
“It’s also something we want to respond to,” he added.
NORAD tracked and detected Russian military aircraft operating off the coast of Alaska for a four-day period, with two aircraft operating each day, beginning on September 11.
The planes were operating in the Alaska ADIZ – a zone outside US sovereign airspace – but within which the US expects aircraft to identify themselves.
The number of such invasions fluctuates annually, NORAD reports. The average was six to seven interceptions per year, but last year 26 Russian aircraft entered the Alaska zone and so far this year there have been 25.
In such encounters, it is common for the U.S. military to provide photographs of the Russian fighter jets being escorted by American or Canadian aircraft.