RUSSIAN fighter jets have intercepted a US bomber flying near the Russian border with Europe, the latest in a number of such incidents to have occurred in recent weeks. Dramatic footage shot from the Russian SU-27 jet shows it approaching a B52 bomber in the vicinity of the Black and Baltic Seas. After briefly tailing […]
RUSSIAN fighter jets have intercepted a US bomber flying near the Russian border with Europe, the latest in a number of such incidents to have occurred in recent weeks.
Dramatic footage shot from the Russian SU-27 jet shows it approaching a B52 bomber in the vicinity of the Black and Baltic Seas.
After briefly tailing the bomber, it pulls up, leaving the US craft to turn back and away from Russian airspace.
The footage was shot and posted to social media yesterday by the Russian Ministry of Defence.
A spokesperson for Russia’s National Defense Management Centre said: “On June 17, 2019, crews of Russian SU-27 fighter jets that were on combat duty intercepted US B-52H bombers that were approaching Russia’s state border from the Black and Baltic Seas”.
They added that no violation of Russia’s state borders had been registered and that the “flights of the Russian aircraft were carried out in strict accordance with international Rules for the Use of Airspace”.
The five-crew B-52H is capable of carrying nuclear weapons as well as approximately 70,000 pounds (31,500 kg) of mixed ordnance, including bombs, mines, and missiles.
Russian and Nato aircraft have carried out a number of interceptions of each other over the Russian border with Europe in recent weeks.
Russia has been using warships from its Baltic fleet to track Nato’s 47th annual Baltic Operations in the Baltic Sea, in which the forces of 17 countries are taking part.
In March, Russian forces intercepted a US bomber over the Baltic Sea, while June has seen at least four such incidents so far, three of which occurred on the same day.
In May, US forces intercepted four Russian bombers and two fighter jets near the coast of Alaska, while on Saturday the RAF carried out their eighth interception of a Russian jet over the Baltic Sea in just six weeks.
The forces of opposing countries often deploy bombers and other aircraft towards each other’s airspace to test the reaction time and strength of the other country’s defences.
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