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US fighter jets intercept 6 Russian spy planes flying near Alaska for hours

americanmilitarynews.com

US fighter jets intercept 6 Russian spy planes flying near Alaska for hours

Ryan Morgan

NORAD F-22s, CF-18s, supported by KC-135 Stratotanker and E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, intercepted two Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on Monday, March 9th. (NORAD photo/Released)

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates as more information becomes available.

The U.S. North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) deployed F-22 fighters jets to intercept three groups of two Russian Tupelov Tu-142 Russian maritime reconnaissance and patrol aircraft flying towards Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) late Thursday night.

In a Thursday press release, NORAD said U.S. F-22 Raptors flew to intercept the Russian aircraft as they flew within 50 nautical miles of Alaskan shores, and loitered within the ADIZ for around five hours. The U.S. fighters effort was assisted by KC-135 air refuelers during the hours-long intercept mission. Though the Russian aircraft loitered within the ADIZ, at no point did they enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace.

Russian aircraft have attempted to enter the ADIZ on numerous prior occasions in 2020.

In one set of June intercepts, NORAD intercepted eight Russian aircraft, including Tu-95 bombers, Su-35 fighter jets, and A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft flying within 30 miles of Alaska. That incident came at the start of a wave of June intercept incidents. A week after intercepting the first eight Russian aircraft, NORAD intercepted another eight more Russian aircraft, flying in two bomber formations. Within a two week period, NORAD carried out five separate intercept missions.

On Friday, U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the commander of NORAD, said, “Our northern approaches have had an increase in foreign military activity as our competitors continue to expand their military presence and probe our defenses. This year, we’ve conducted more than a dozen intercepts, the most in recent years. The importance of our continued efforts to project air defense operations in and through the north has never been more apparent.”

VanHerck’s predecessor, Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy assessed that Russia’s numerous flights around Alaska were part of an effort to test U.S. defenses for weaknesses.

A March intercept incident saw more Russian Tu-142 Russian reconnaissance aircraft spied on U.S. submarine drills, flying around an area where the drills were being performed.

NORAD uses a layered network of radars, satellites, and fighter aircraft to identify aircraft flying towards U.S. and Canadian airspace. All of NORAD’s North American intercept flights and air defense missions are designated Operation NOBLE EAGLE.

Canadian Air Force CF-18s have also participated in intercept missions against Russian aircraft in 2020.

Russian aircraft have also harassed U.S. aircraft flying on missions flying over international waters. In one incident, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew an inverted pass within 25 feet of a U.S. Navy P8-A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flying over the Mediterranean Sea. Days later a Russian Su-35 again flew within 25 feet of a Navy P8-A. The Navy deemed both incidents unsafe and said in each case, the close pass by the Russian fighter caused wake turbulence for the U.S. pilots.

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/08/us-fighter-jets-intercept-6-russian-spy-planes-flying-near-alaska-for-hours/?utm_source=smartnews

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" 'For its part, the Russian Navy has specifically linked its drills to the Kremlin's broader push to increase its military presence in the increasingly strategic Arctic region. "We are building up our forces to ensure the economic development of the region," Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the Russian Navy's top officer, said in a statement. "We are getting used to the Arctic spaces." '''

Russian Submarine Sets Off Alarm Bells After Surfacing Near Alaska Amid Rash Of Posturing

Joseph Trevithick

thedrive.com

Russia is holding its largest naval drills in the Pacific in recent memory as the U.S. Navy's big RIMPAC wargames are underway.

Russia's Pacific Fleet has claimed that the surfacing of the guided-missile submarine Omsk in the Bering Sea off Alaska yesterday was "routine," despite it being a highly unusual event that set of alarm bells within the U.S. military. This sub is presently taking part in the largest Russian naval exercise in this area since the fall of the Soviet Union, which is tied to the country's increasing military activities in the strategic Arctic region. This comes amid a host of other instances of military posturing between Washington and Moscow, including the U.S. Navy's recent and equally rare decision to publicize a visit by the highly advanced, first-in-class USS Seawolf to Norway.

Russian state-run media outlet RIA Novosti published the comments downplaying Omsk's activities on Aug. 28, 2020. The day before, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) had publicly announced that it was monitoring the activities of an unspecified submarine sailing on the surface in international waters near Alaska. At that time, NORTHCOM said that it was prepared to render assistance to the boat, if necessary, suggesting it might be experiencing an emergency of some kind, but there has been no indication since that this was the case.

"If it's not a casualty [breakdown of some kind] on board the submarine, it's a clear signal that Russia is deploying near our waters," Aaron Amick, a veteran U.S. Navy submariner and War Zone contributor, said. "It appears to be a response to the U.S. Navy public message [with Seawolf in Norway]. Let's see if it's a casualty first."

Omsk is a Project 949A, or Oscar II class, submarine, which have a distinctively wide hullform. This is because these boats have long compartments on either side, set between the inner and outer hulls.

A picture of the Oscar II class submarine Smolensk highlighting the distinctive wide-bodied design.

Each of these two spaces contains a dozen launchers for the massive P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missile, which NATO also refers to as the SS-N-19 Shipwreck, giving the Oscar IIs a total load of 24 of these weapons. The submarines also have four 533mm torpedo tubes, which they can use to launch heavyweight torpedos, as well as the RPK-6 Vodopad anti-submarine missile, or SS-N-16 Stallion, a unique weapon that you can read about more in this past War Zone story.

Omsk is just one of approximately 50 warships and submarines that have been taking part in the live-fire exercises the Bering Sea. On Aug. 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense had released a video, seen in the Tweet below, from the drills that included a clip of this boat firing one of its Shipwreck missiles. Russian authorities have said that the Project 1164 Slava class guided missile cruiser Varyag fired at least one of its P-1000 Vulkan anti-ship cruise missiles, as well. Another unspecified warship or submarine also launched a P-800 Oniks anti-ship cruise missile as part of the drills.

The drills in the Bering Sea are of an unprecedented scale, with some 40 aircraft also participating, and has been drawing increasing public attention, even beyond the Omsk sailing on the surface. "We were notified by multiple fishing vessels that were operating out [in] the Bering Sea that they had come across these vessels and were concerned," U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Kip Wadlow told the Associated Press on Aug. 27.

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The Russian drills are juxtaposed against the latest iteration of the U.S. Navy-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise is getting close to wrapping up. RIMPAC 2020, which began on Aug. 17 and runs through Aug. 31, is the U.S. military's premier Pacific exercise and is also a live-fire event. It is also a multi-national event, with allies and partners from around the world taking part. Unfortunately, do the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year's exercise was notably scaled back.

“Originally, RIMPAC 2020 had planned to include up to 30 countries, more than 50 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel – 4,000 of those ashore for operations and support functions," Navy Vice Adm. Scott Conn, head of U.S. 3rd Fleet, said in a pre-recorded video marking the beginning of the exercise. "That would have been the largest RIMPAC to date. We have scaled that down to 10 nations, 22 ships, one submarine, and approximately 5,300 personnel, all at sea.

On Aug. 28, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper Tweeted out a video showing him watching the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Lake Erie and the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Chung-Hoon fire their own missiles at RIMPAC 2020, before the social media post was deleted for unknown reasons.

For its part, the Russian Navy has specifically linked its drills to the Kremlin's broader push to increase its military presence in the increasingly strategic Arctic region. "We are building up our forces to ensure the economic development of the region," Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the Russian Navy's top officer, said in a statement. "We are getting used to the Arctic spaces."

For years now, Russia has been dramatically expanding its military activities in the Arctic, as well as establishing a constellation of new and expanded bases across the region. Earlier this month, The War Zone obtained satellite imagery showing major construction in progress to extend the runway and improve other facilities at Nagurskoye Air Base, which is part of the Russian military's northernmost military outpost.

Competition in the Arctic, as well as the potential for conflict, has been growing as global climate change has made it easier for military forces, as well as commercial interests, to operate in and otherwise access the remote region on a more regular basis. Rights to undersea resources, from fish to oil, as well as sovereignty over potential shipping lanes, are likely to be increasing points of contention in the future.

In March 2020, a pair of Russian Tu-142 Bear long-range maritime patrol planes flew over a base camp on an ice floe in international waters that was supporting a U.S. Navy Ice Exercise (ICEX) involving multiple American submarines. U.S. Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force jets intercepted the Tu-142s and escorted them out of the area, but the messaging was clear.

On Aug. 28, 2020, NORTHCOM announced that Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters had intercepted three groups of two Tu-142s, six in total, that had entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) overnight. Those aircraft remained in the ADIZ, but in international waters no closer than 50 miles to Alaska, for five hours.

"This year, we've conducted more than a dozen intercepts, the most in recent years. The importance of our continued efforts to project air defense operations in and through the north has never been more apparent," Air Force General Glen VanHerck, who is presently head of NORTHCOM, as well as the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), said in a statement.

Omsk running on the surface close enough to Alaska to trigger the equally unusual public response from NORTHCOM is another indication of the kinds of shows of force that look set to be increasingly common in the region in the future. As noted, the Russian submarine's apparently quite visible appearance near Alaska could also have been a tit-for-tat response to USS Seawolf's publicized stop in Norway last week.

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For years, the Navy has been warning itself about increasing Russian submarine activity, especially close to America's shores in the Atlantic. Omsk's surfacing near Alaska demonstrates Russia's continued ability to conduct operations in the Pacific, as well.

This all comes amid a notable uptick in posturing between the United States and Russia on various fronts. Just today, four B-52 bombers took part in a mission to fly through the airspace of all of NATO's European members, with some 80 other allied aircraft also taking part, another unprecedented show of force and demonstration of alliance unity. Two more of these bombers conducted sorties over the United States and Canada.

A total of six B-52s, all nuclear-capable, had first touched down at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom for a short-term deployment to the region last weekend. The bombers had flown from their home base in North Dakota via a polar route that mimicked a flight profile they could employ during an actual strike on targets in Russia.

American and Russian troops were also involved in a serious dustup in northeastern Syria earlier this week, the most recent in a string of increasingly worrisome altercations. Authorities from both countries continue to dispute who was at fault for this latest incident, in which a Russian military vehicle struck a U.S. vehicle, leaving seven Americans with various injuries.

While it's not entirely clear what is driving this significant increase in signaling between Russia and the United States, the posturing is definitely increasing in both size and scope in various areas around the world with no indication that either side will be slowing things down anytime soon.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36056/russian-submarine-sets-off-alarm-bells-after-surfacing-near-alaska-amid-rash-of-posturing