Russian nuclear bombers were spotted flying near
Alaska this week. The bombers were escorted by
fighter jets, floating just outside of U.S. and
Canadian airspace
. This is the second such sighting since June,
sparking the attention of American military jets.
Major Beth Smith, of the U.S. Northern Command
and the North American Aerospace Defense
Command (NORAD), has said "Over the past
week, NORAD has visually identified Russian
aircraft operating in and around the U.S. air
defense identification zones." There have been
about 16 Russian forays in the Alaskan and north
Canadian area in the last 10 days.
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It is not entirely uncommon to see Russian
planes in this airspace, however, the increased
number of such planes seems to be triggering
some concern amongst the aviation military
community, particularly given the increased
tension in Ukraine. Smith referred to this number
of forays as " a spike in activity ."
Smith noted that these were training missions,
though a spy plane and anti-submarine plane
were spotted among the bombers. However,
another defense official told the Washington Free
Beacon they believe this is more than just a
training flight
. The official stated "[Russian strategic nuclear
forces appear to be] trying to test our air defense
reactions, or our command and control systems.
These are not just training missions."
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The Russian military has admitted they have
flown in that area. They told ITAR-TASS , "all
flights were scheduled in advance and were made
in strict compliance with the international rules of
using airspace without trespassing the borders of
other countries."
http://news.yahoo.com/russian-nuclear-bombers-keep-roaming-closer-u-airspace-145055700.html