US stealth fighters intercept Russian bombers off the coast of Alaska

[DonViejo]

Source: CNN



By Ryan Browne and Sophie Tatum, CNN

Updated 3:18 AM ET, Sat May 12, 2018

Washington (CNN) - Two Russian TU-95 "Bear" bombers were intercepted by US F-22 stealth fighters in international airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The Russian long-range bombers flew into the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends approximately 200 miles off Alaska's western coast.

"At approximately 10 a.m. ET, two Alaskan-based NORAD F-22 fighters intercepted and visually identified two Russian TU-95 'Bear' long-range bomber aircraft flying in the Air Defense Identification Zone around the western coast of Alaska, north of the Aleutian Islands," NORAD and USNORTHCOM spokesman Canadian Army Maj. Andrew Hennessy said in a statement.

The Russian aircraft were "intercepted and monitored by the F-22s until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Island chain heading west," and never entered US airspace, according to the statement.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/11/politics/us-stealth-fighters-intercept-russian-bombers/index.html

[jberryhill]

1. Thank goodness Sarah Palin phone that one in

They were tipped off by a phone call from Wasilla, which they originally thought was from some drunk lady looking for a ride home from the bar.

[DBoon]

2. Is Trump apologizing to Putin for this?

Promising it will never happen again?

[47of74]

3. probably

[kimbutgar]

4. The Russians are just checking out their new empire

Once Twitler breaks our country the highest bidder will be Russia.

[C_U_L8R]

5. Meanwhile, The Duffer in Chief is at the golf course.

[Mike Rows His Boat]

6. Not too much unusual here.

It’s a propeller plane from the early 1950’s.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95

[Brother Buzz]

7. Not just a propeller plane

It's pulled by four wicked cool contra-rotating propellers, and arguably the nosiest airplane in the sky

[Mike Rows His Boat]

9. The Soviets, Russian, Ukraine, prop plane engines were amazing designs.

[oneshooter]

13. U S submarines can track them with passive listening from undewater.

They are VERY noisy.

[Nitram]

8. It's standard military procedure. Probe airspace and provoke a response to gauge

response times and monitor communications and radar frequencies. They learn a lot about air defenses that way.

[Mike Rows His Boat]

11. I'm pretty sure the US & NATO do the same.

[Nitram]

12. We know they do. It would be negligent not to. That's how you map out radar ranges,

which frequencies air defenses are using to communicate, listen in on procedures, and much more.

[TheSmarterDog]

10. It's faster than a B-52 with twice the range.

[oneshooter]

14. Not really

the B52 is a little faster 650mph vs. 575

[xor]

15. Also, the Bear doesn't have twice the range.

You're probably comparing combat radius to range. The TU-95 apparently does have a little bit more range, but it's not double the range.

Not that this matters.