The North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement Wednesday that Russia’s first aircraft formation consisted of two bombers, accompanied by two fighter jets, and supported by aircraft’s early warning and control.
The second formation consists of two Russian bombers supported by early warning aircraft and other air controls. Russian military planes come within 32 nautical miles of the coast of Alaska, but remain in international airspace and never enter US sovereign airspace.
“This is an important Russian formation in many locations,” said a US defense official about the two most recent attacks. The US considers that some Russian airlines are merely training missions. But the pace of activity may be a signal by Moscow that they are determined to keep up with American flights from the Russian coastal region, the official said.
Tuesday’s incident follows a similar incident last Wednesday, and is the eighth incident this year in which Russian aircraft have penetrated the Canadian or Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone.
