Summary of the news
- American planes intercepted Russian planes over Alaska.
- According to official information, the Russians did not enter US or Canadian airspace.
- Russian planes have been intercepted twice this week.
Russian Tu95 bomber intercepted by US planes
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD, its English acronym), formed by the United States and Canada, said Thursday (16) that American warplanes intercepted Russian military planes near the state of Alaska for the second time this week.
The “routine” interception of four Russian aircraft, including a Tu95 bomber and Su30 and Su35 fighter jets, took place on Tuesday (15), Norad said in a statement.
“Russian planes stayed in international airspace and did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace,” he added.
This was the second interception in two days. The first took place on Monday (14th).
“The Norad […] believes this Russian air activity is in no way related to recent operations by Norad and US Northern Command related to airborne objects over North America over the past two weeks,” it said.
US planes shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon and three unidentified objects this month, in an unusual offensive move for fighter jets based in North America.
The US Navy releases footage of a Chinese balloon rescue
The US Navy released images of the capture of the Chinese balloon sent to spy on American territory. The device was shot down by militants last Saturday (4) and the wreckage plunged into the sea 10 km off the coast of South Carolina
Watch the moment an American missile pierces and knocks down a Chinese balloon
The operation began shortly after parts of the object fell into the water. US Navy and Coast Guard ships helped with the search
President Joe Biden’s administration defends the hypothesis that the balloon was an unsuccessful attempt at espionage by Beijing. China denies that purpose, claiming it was just a weather balloon that went off course because of the winds.
After the balloon was spotted, Washington canceled Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China.
Shortly after learning of the object’s existence, former President Donald Trump last Thursday (2) called for the balloon to be launched immediately. However, the Pentagon warned of the danger the equipment could pose to people on the ground. In Maryland, President Joe Biden congratulated the F22 pilots on shooting down the balloon in American airspace
The raid came after three southeastern U.S. airports were temporarily closed in what the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) described as a “national security effort.”
When it was shot down, the balloon was at an altitude of 11 miles, 7 miles from shore, according to Pentagon officials.
The US spotted another balloon flying over Latin America. For its part, the Colombian Air Force said that “an object” with “characteristics similar to a balloon” is in its airspace and that the situation is being monitored.
Beijing confirmed Monday (6) that the balloon spotted flying over Latin America was Chinese.