Russian Bombers Intercepted Off Alaska 14th Time This Year

U.S. fighter jets late Monday intercepted Russian bombers for the 14th time in 2020, Stars and Stripes reported.

According to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian long-range bombers and fighters off Alaska's coast in the latest incident.

Two Tu-95 Bear bombers, two Su-35 Flanker fighter jets and an A-50 airborne early warning aircraft were intercepted, NORAD said. The Russian aircraft were never in American airspace.

The aircraft flew about 30 nautical miles along Alaskan shores and "loitered within" the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone about 90 minutes, NORAD added.

The situation was described as routine, with six or seven such incidents per year since 2007 when Russia relaunched its long-range aviation program.

Russia's military said on Twitter that the formations flew a scheduled 12-hour training flight over "neutral waters of the seas of Bering, Okhotsk, as well as Chukchi and Beaufort seas."

• Russian Military Says US Flights near Crimea Fuel Tensions
• Russian Fighter Jet Intercepts Navy Patrol Plane Over Black Sea