NORAD intercepts 4 Russian bombers and 2 fighter jets

Four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted near the coast of Alaska on Monday by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the organization said in a statement.  The Russian planes were entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone when they were intercepted, but they remained in international airspace — never entering American or Canadian airspace, according to NORAD.

“Two of the Russian bombers were intercepted by two F-22s, and a second group of bombers with Su-35 fighters was intercepted later by two additional F-22s,” NORAD said. 

It said an E-3 “provided overall surveillance.” 

The interceptions come amid tensions between Russia and the U.S. As CBS News’ Emily Tillett reported last week, a press conference by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, revealed a number of areas where the two nations could not reach a consensus following discussions.

Last September, two Alaska-based U.S. fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers over the Arctic Ocean and last May, a pair of Russian bombers were intercepted near the western coast of Alaska.