Independent
Nine U.S. fighter jets have been scrambled to intercept five Russian warplanes spotted off Alaska.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, based at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, said it had detected and tracked two Tu-95 long-range strategic bombers, two Su-35 fighter planes, and one A-50 spy plane crossing Alaska’s coastal Air Defense Identification Zone Thursday.
NORAD said it had responded by launching two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3, and four KC-135s to intercept the planes, positively identify them, and escort them out of the ADIZ.
The command described Russian activity in the ADIZ as a regular occurrence that is not typically considered a threat, adding that the five planes had not crossed into U.S. or Canadian airspace, according to CBS News.
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