WASHINGTON: US fighters intercepted six Russian military aircraft in international airspace west of Alaska, and shadowed them until they exited the area, the North American Air Defence Command said on Tuesday.

The Russian aircraft included two Tu-95 strategic bombers, which were intercepted on Monday by two F-22 fighters, the command said.

A second group of two Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters were also intercepted by a pair of F-22 fighters, it said.

An AWACS surveillance plane monitored the operations, NORAD said, adding that the Russian aircraft were in international airspace throughout.

They were picked up as they entered the Alaska Air Defence Identification Zone, a perimeter line that lies outside national airspace but within which air traffic is kept under constant surveillance to reduce response times in case of a hostile threat.

“Our ability to deter and defeat threats to our citizens and vital infrastructure starts with detecting, tracking,

and positively identifying aircraft in our airspace,” NORAD’s commander, General Terrence O’Shaughnessy, said.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2019