U.S. Air Force intercepted during Bering Sea Mission

The U.S. Air Force has been conducting missions in the Bering Sea, moving closer and closer to Russian borders.

Three U.S. bomber planes came close to crossing into Russian territory in the Bering Sea earlier in July and were escorted out of the region by Russian Defense Ministry aircraft.

“U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers were intercepted by Russian aircraft while conducting a Bomber Task Force mission in the vicinity of the Bering Sea” on July 14, the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Public Affairs told the Nugget.

PACAF is headquartered at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawai’i, and oversees several Air Force bases in Alaska, including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) and Eielson Air Force Base, near Fairbanks.

While the planes were performing exercises, they were met by four Russian jets; two miG-31 and two Su-35 fighters, sent to meet them over neutral waters.

“Russian airspace control devices over the neutral waters of the Bering Sea detected three air targets approaching the state border of the Russian Federation,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “The state border of the Russian Federation was not violated.”

The Russian Defense Ministry later released video footage of the incident, featured on the state-controlled news network RT. RT has often been described as a propaganda arm of the nation, and has operating newsrooms in the U.S., France, Germany, and several other countries.

“The intercept was conducted in a safe and professional manner,” PACAF Public Affairs told the Nugget. “Our aircrews frequently encounter safe and professional intercepts. When there are unsafe and/or unprofessional intercepts, we have procedures in place to address it. We will continue to use international airspace in accordance with international law and expect others to do the same.”

The incident occurred just days after Russian fighter jets intercepted a U.S. warplane nearing the country’s airspace over the Black Sea in Southeastern Europe. Russia’s defense ministry said the U.S. Navy plane, the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, did not violate Russia’s border. The U.S. was participating in a NATO-sponsored multinational naval exercise in the region.