This time it is not an unidentified object. Two American fighter jets intercepted four Russian planes near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) announced on Tuesday.
This “routine” interception of Russian aircraft, including models of the Tu-95 heavy bomber and Su-35 fighter, took place on Monday, Norad said in a statement. This is an operation consisting of escorting a potentially rival aircraft deemed too close to an airspace, or having entered it.
“Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace,” he added, noting that such Russian activity “occurred regularly and was not not considered a threat or a provocative activity”.
Flying objects destroyed in recent days
If this interception was a routine operation, the combat planes stationed in North America had the opportunity in February to carry out real and rare aerial offensive actions, by shooting down a Chinese balloon, described as a spy by Washington, in the off the east coast of the country and three other unidentified flying objects. Norad specifies that there is no link between these objects and the interception of Russian planes.
Regarding the last three flying objects, one of which was shot down in Canada, the White House has for the moment “no indication” that they are of Chinese origin or had spy functions, said a spokesperson on Tuesday. These “objects” “could be balloons with innocuous commercial or scientific functions”, recognized John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council of the American executive.