US intercepts 2 Russian bombers off Alaska coast

The U.S. military says it intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off Alaska's coast.
Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, says a pair of F-22 Raptor aircraft intercepted the Russian TU-95 Bear bombers on Monday.
Ross says the intercept was "safe and professional."
North American Aerospace Defense Command monitors air approaches to North America and defends the airspace.
Fox News said Tuesday the Russian planes flew within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of Alaska's Kodiak Island.
It said the American jets escorted the Russian bombers for 12 minutes. The bombers then flew back to eastern Russia.

US intercepts 2 Russian bombers off Alaska coast

When I found this article it made me wonder what's behind this and what it means. I could envision Russia testing US defenses or something more sinister. But, after searching ATS to see if this story has already been posted, I discovered that this has happened before several times. The last post about an intercept was in July 2015.

With the tension between Russia, Syria, NorK, etc., this is a bad time for Russia to push the envelope. I would think NORAD has their finger on the trigger waiting for someone to try something stupid.

Thankfully our technology has gotten so good that the whole world is spying on everyone else.

It's like living in a dorm room with paper thin walls.

At least they were intercepted.

For years nothing was ever done.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

It means it's a slow news day. This is an almost weekly event at times. We do the same thing, and have at least one RC-135 flying out of the UK pretty much year round flying over the Med, and over near Russia.

They were in international airspace?

What's the big deal? The media love a good old "Russians were just off the coast" story, but then you read that they are in international airspace and question why they were intercepted?

The Russians have been doing similar things for years, but because tensions are running high, the media, undoubtedly with the Governments blessing, make more of a big deal of it than it actually is.

This sort of encounter was a daily occurrence in the US and Europe during the Cold War years. It seems to be undergoing something of a resurgence in recent years and is not particularly unusual. Its worth keeping an eye on these types of incidents of course, but I wouldn't read to much into them at this point.

The Cold War turned hot at sea and in the air on a lot of occasions, but it didn't lead to an actual full on Warsaw Pact/NATO engagement back then. These are response and resolve testing exercises at the moment and they are nothing new.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

a reply to: Zaphod58

Nuh uh man it's like totally an indication that things are about to go down!!!11!1!

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

It means it's a slow news day. This is an almost weekly event at times. We do the same thing, and have at least one RC-135 flying out of the UK pretty much year round flying over the Med, and over near Russia.

I wasn't aware of that and it's good to know. At least the trigger fingers shouldn't twitch when the see them on radar.

Our Typhoons and Tornados regularly go out to intercept and escort Bears. It's almost a officially sanctioned interception exercise.
a reply to: Zaphod58

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: Zaphod58

Nuh uh man it's like totally an indication that things are about to go down!!!11!1!

I'm going with "business as usual" but with things as they are, we should be more suspect of these incidents. Thank goodness 'lil Kim doesn't have an air force. Makes you wonder what's going in the ocean though. How many subs come to visit.

a reply to: CulturalResilience

Russian crew members used to try to get phone numbers for American pilots that would intercept them. The Americans would counter with Playboy centerfolds.

There's one photo that is famous, yet will probably never be seen outside the people involved, of an F-14 RIO that intercepted a Bear wearing a gorilla mask.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

There were probably 40 or 50 Western aircraft shot down during the early part of the Cold War. They eventually put a formal agreement in place that when they intercepted they would follow specific procedures (Russian aircraft would point their tail guns up away from the intercepting aircraft, Western aircraft wouldn't lock them on radar).

Russian subs frequently park off our ports trying to catch something coming out and heading out on patrol. They're around quite a bit, but ASW stuff is kept in a black hole.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3...

According Lt. Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Alaskan NORAD Region Commander, aircraft were detected flying unannounced shortly before 6 p.m. Monday night.

"They were not on a flight plan," he said, "so we had to investigate that."

"We basically have a line drawn, about 200 miles outside of our land mass," Lt. Gen. Wilsbach said. "We use that just so that when aircraft cross that line, if we don't already have an identification through a flight plan, then we will launch aircraft to determine what that aircraft is and who it is."

The Russian aircraft were inside that line.

KTUU.com (local NBC affiliate) - JBER, Eielson personnel intercept Russian bombers.

Ah, the 1980s all over again! During the Cold War, as Zaphod noted, this was near weekly. The Russians would launch, we would watch, then at some random time, we would launch intercepts. Kept them guessing what we know and how fast we know it.

"Hey, nobody wants to live in Alaska... let's cut military spending across the board," says some US senator at one time or another. Then they get an expensive trip here and realize that is a dumb idea.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

International airspace or waters means that anybody can use those areas regardless of nationality and/or government affiliation/allegiance. No harm, no foul.

a reply to: GeauxHomeYoureDrunk

The difference here is that they were in international airspace, within the ADIZ, which requires positive identification. That's why they were intercepted. They're still allowed to be there, but they have to have positive identification by flightplan, and positive contact with air traffic control once they enter the ADIZ.

We used to launch at least once a month because some pilot flying between the islands entered the wrong area without proper authorization before he did.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
All good I suppose. The closer the Russians get, the more practice our boys get to fly and engage. No harm in that.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
They were in international airspace?

What's the big deal? The media love a good old "Russians were just off the coast" story

Do they? The US has been patrolling pretty fiercely off the coast of California for a week or more now, tons of reports online yet not one MSM story.

(Not fake news, watched it happening myself)

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

It's an old, old game. Dates back to before I was born.

The Bears fly as close as they can, the, in this case, Raptors intercept them. The pilots and crew wave at each other, take really cool pictures and they go home.

No one is going to do anything stupid, 'cause they all know the game, and how it's played. Many of the senior officers on both sides have played the game many, many times, either on airplanes, or ships, or submarines.

Like the spokesman said, Completely professional.

a reply to: hombero

Exercising and training. There's no secrecy about it.