Aerospace

US Air Force jets intercept 2 Russian bombers off Alaska coast

A pair of U.S. Air Force stealth fighter jets intercepted two Russian nuclear-capable bombers Friday morning off the coast of Alaska, a spokesman for NORAD (North American Aeorospace Defense Command) told Fox News.

The approach by the two Tupolev Tu-95 Russian "Bear" aircraft marked the first time in just over a year that Russian bombers had flown that close to U.S. territory.

Two separate defense officials reached by Fox News said the Russian bombers came within 55 miles of Alaska’s west coast. The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss that portion of the intercept.

The bombers entered a U.S. air-defense identification zone (ADIZ), defined as airspace extending approximately 200 miles from the nation's coastline, though mainly composed of international airspace.