World

Video shows Russian fighter jet flying close to US F-16 near Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska: A video released by the U.S. Military this week showed a Russian fighter jet coming up from behind the camera and swooping past just a few feet from a U.S. Air Force F-16, which had been sent to intercept it.

The video release of the close encounter on September 23 with the U.S. pilot under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command comes after a series of Russian incursions into the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone just beyond U.S. sovereign airspace.

The interaction drew condemnation from NORAD’s top officer and one of Alaska’s U.S. senators. A message sent to the Russian Embassy seeking comment was not immediately returned.

The close shave by the Russian jet comes just weeks after eight Russian military planes and four of its navy vessels, including two submarines, came close to Alaska as China and Russia conducted joint drills.

None of the planes breached U.S. airspace. However, about 130 U.S. soldiers were sent along with mobile rocket launchers to Shemya Island, about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage. They were deployed to the Aleutian island for a week before returning to their bases.

In July, Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off Alaska, a sign of cooperation that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said raised concerns.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *