Story highlights
Two TU-95 Bear bombers were intercepted off the coast of Alaska
The interaction was "nothing out of the ordinary," the US military said
(CNN) —
Two Russian TU-95 Bear bombers were intercepted in international airspace off the coast of Alaska by two US F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft on Monday, the Pentagon confirmed to CNN.
The intercept, which was described by a US military official as safe and professional, took place about 100 miles from Kodiak Island after the Russian aircraft flew into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.
There was no cockpit-to-cockpit radio communication between the US and Russian pilots, the US official told CNN.
Fox News first reported the intercept.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
PHOTO:
Master Sgt. Greg Steele/U.S. Air Force
B-52 Stratofortress —
The first versions of this long-range heavy bomber flew in 1954. A total of 744 were built, the last of those in 1962. The Air Force maintains 58 B-52s in the active force and 18 in the Reserve. A single B-52 can carry 70,000 pounds of mixed munitions, including bombs, missiles and mines. The eight-engine jets have a range of 8,800 miles.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
PHOTO:
U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Nicole Sikorski
C-130 Hercules transport —
A C-130J Super Hercules from the 37th Airlift Squadron flies over Normandy, France, June 3, 2015. First delivered to the Air Force in 1956, the C-130 remains one of the service's most important airlift platforms. More than 140 are still in active units, with more than 180 in the National Guard and a hundred more in the Reserve. The C-130 is powered by four turboprop engines.