In a new episode involving military aircraft from the United States and Russia, it was confirmed that MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces intercepted two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers. The incident, which occurred recently in international airspace over the Arctic, was confirmed by both the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Armed Forces’ European and African Command.
According to an official statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, a potential violation of sovereign airspace was prevented when two strategic bombers were detected on an approach course. MiG-29 fighters and MiG-31 interceptors were immediately deployed to escalate the threat and force the bombers to change their course.
Providing more details, the Russian defense ministry stated: “On July 21, Russian airspace control systems over the Barents Sea detected a group of aerial targets approaching the Russian state border. To identify the aerial target and prevent the violation of the Russian state border, MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighters were scrambled. The crews of the Russian fighters identified the aerial target as two B-52H strategic bombers of the U.S. Air Force.” They added regarding the deployed assets: “The Russian aircraft safely returned to their home airfields, and the violation of the Russian state border was prevented.”
The U.S. Armed Forces also confirmed the incident, providing additional details about the intercepted B-52H bombers, which belong to the 2nd Bomb Wing based at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and were heading to Europe as part of the new deployment of the Bomber Task Force 24-4, which arrived for the first time in Romania.
“While flying in international airspace and in accordance with international law, the U.S. B-52 aircraft were intercepted by two Russian aircraft over the Barents Sea at approximately 8 a.m. Central European Time. The U.S. aircraft did not alter their course due to the interception and continued their scheduled flight plan without incident, allowing the B-52s to carry out their pre-planned mission, which included integration with NATO fighter jets before landing at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base,” the U.S. European Command stated in their release.
This new episode adds to others recorded in the European Theater of Operations by the Armed Forces of Russia, the United States, and NATO allies. As demonstrated in previous weeks, focusing on the Baltic region, Russian military aircraft and attack submarines have been identified operating in the region as they transit between Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg.
*Photos used for illustration purposes.
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