Even if the operation is described as “routine” by the American authorities, it was carried out in the tense context of the war in Ukraine and the affair of the Chinese balloon in the sky of the United States. Two American fighter jets intercepted four Russian planes near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) announced on Tuesday.
This interception of Russian aircraft, including models of the Tu-95 heavy bomber and Su-35 fighter, took place on Monday, Norad said. This is an operation consisting of escorting a potentially rival aircraft deemed too close to an airspace, or having entered it.
An operation “in international airspace”
“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”.
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 offensive aerial actions, by shooting down a Chinese balloon, described as a spy by Washington , off the east coast of the country and three other unidentified flying objects.