DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Canadian Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Bombers in Arctic

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Canadian Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Bombers in Arctic

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources CBC News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 20, 2014: Fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers flying about 75 kilometres off Canada’s Arctic coast in the early morning hours Thursday, NORAD revealed to CBC News.

Two CF-18s met the Tupolev Tu-95 long-range bombers, commonly referred to as "Bears," at around 1:30 a.m. PT as they flew a course in “the western reaches” of Canada’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the Beaufort Sea, said Maj. Beth Smith, spokeswoman for North American Aerospace Defence Command.

The ADIZ extends approximately 320 kilometres from Canada’s coastlines, a distance far beyond the 22 kilometres, or 12 nautical miles, from the coast that define a nation’s sovereign airspace. Smith made it clear that the Russian bombers never entered Canada’s sovereign airspace, but did come within about 75 kilometres of Canada's mainland. 

The encounter comes one day after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko delivered a speech in Parliament thanking Canada for its ongoing support as his country’s forces battle with pro-Russian separatist rebels.

“This is disturbing. We’ve heard stories like in the past, of Russian bombers challenging Canadian airspace,” said James Bezan, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Defence and a Conservative MP from Manitoba.

“This plays into the narrative of a Putin regime that’s more aggressive not just in Crimea, not just in Ukraine, but indeed testing their neighbour in their entire region," he said. 

About six hours before the CF-18s intercepted the Russian bombers, American F-22 fighter jets were scrambled from a base in Alaska to meet a group of Russian aircraft, including two refuelling tankers, two MiG-31 fighters and two long-range bombers.

After the U.S. jets made contact, the group headed west back towards Russian airspace.

“We’re seeing increased aggressive actions being taken by the Russian Federation,” Bezan said during an interview on CBC’s Power & Politics.

Despite the ongoing tensions between Western allies and Russia, it is not the first time Canadian and U.S. aircraft have intercepted Russian bombers seemingly flying toward sovereign airspace.

According to Smith, NORAD has dispatched fighter jets to make contact with Russian long-range bombers “in excess of 50 times” in the last five years.

Canadian jets intercepted the same type of long-range bombers off the coast of Newfoundland in 2010. After that incident, Peter MacKay, then minister of defence, told CBC News that Canadian military aircraft intercept between 12 and 18 Russian bombers annually.

Fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers flying about 75 kilometres off Canada’s Arctic coast in the early morning hours Thursday, NORAD revealed to CBC News.

Two CF-18s met the Tupolev Tu-95 long-range bombers, commonly referred to as "Bears," at around 1:30 a.m. PT as they flew a course in “the western reaches” of Canada’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the Beaufort Sea, said Maj. Beth Smith, spokeswoman for North American Aerospace Defence Command.

The ADIZ extends approximately 320 kilometres from Canada’s coastlines, a distance far beyond the 22 kilometres, or 12 nautical miles, from the coast that define a nation’s sovereign airspace. Smith made it clear that the Russian bombers never entered Canada’s sovereign airspace, but did come within about 75 kilometres of Canada's mainland. 

The encounter comes one day after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko delivered a speech in Parliament thanking Canada for its ongoing support as his country’s forces battle with pro-Russian separatist rebels.

“This is disturbing. We’ve heard stories like in the past, of Russian bombers challenging Canadian airspace,” said James Bezan, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Defence and a Conservative MP from Manitoba.

“This plays into the narrative of a Putin regime that’s more aggressive not just in Crimea, not just in Ukraine, but indeed testing their neighbour in their entire region," he said. 

About six hours before the CF-18s intercepted the Russian bombers, American F-22 fighter jets were scrambled from a base in Alaska to meet a group of Russian aircraft, including two refuelling tankers, two MiG-31 fighters and two long-range bombers.

After the U.S. jets made contact, the group headed west back towards Russian airspace.

“We’re seeing increased aggressive actions being taken by the Russian Federation,” Bezan said during an interview on CBC’s Power & Politics.

Despite the ongoing tensions between Western allies and Russia, it is not the first time Canadian and U.S. aircraft have intercepted Russian bombers seemingly flying toward sovereign airspace.

According to Smith, NORAD has dispatched fighter jets to make contact with Russian long-range bombers “in excess of 50 times” in the last five years.

Canadian jets intercepted the same type of long-range bombers off the coast of Newfoundland in 2010. After that incident, Peter MacKay, then minister of defence, told CBC News that Canadian military aircraft intercept between 12 and 18 Russian bombers annually.

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*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources CBC News
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DTN News: NORAD Praises Results Of Joint Air Defense Drills With Russia

DTN News: NORAD Praises Results Of Joint Air Defense Drills With Russia

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, U.S. - August 12, 2010: Officers of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) say they are satisfied with the results of joint anti-terrorism drills with the Russian Air Force and hope for further cooperation. The exercise, dubbed Vigilant Eagle, was carried out on August 6-11, and involved Russian, Canadian and U.S. air force personnel operating from command centers at the Elmendorf airbase in Alaska, and in Khabarovsk, Russia. "This exercise is one milestone in working together in other future efforts. Our folks are proud to be a part of such an important event and are passionate about partaking in efforts to protect our borders," Air Force Lt. Col. John Oberst was quoted as saying on the NORAD Website. The exercise scenario, put together by NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, created a situation requiring both the Russian Air Force and NORAD to launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow a U.S. flagged Golfstream 4 plane on an international flight that has been taken over by terrorists. "What we are practicing today is the communication procedures between NORAD, plus U.S. civilian air traffic control agencies and our Russian counterparts so that we can pass on information to them about air terrorism events to allow them to posture their forces to respond in kind," Canadian Forces Col. Todd Balfe, Alaska NORAD Region deputy commander, said. The drills involved U.S. AWACS E-3B and Russian A-50 airborne warning and control aircraft, Russian MiG-31 and Su-27 fighters and U.S. F-22 interceptors, along with refueling aircraft from both countries. The exercise was carried out under a cooperative military agreement between Russia and the United States, which tasks NORAD, the bi-national U.S. and Canadian command, and the Russian Air Force to conduct a live-fly exercise for up to five days.

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DTN News: 15 F-22A Raptors Being Sent From Alaska To Guam

DTN News: 15 F-22A Raptors Being Sent From Alaska To Guam *Source: DTN News / Inside AF.mil (NSI News Source Info) HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFNS) - January 03, 2010: Fifteen F-22 Raptors are scheduled to deploy to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in January 2010 for approximately three months. Fifteen F-22 Raptors from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, are slated to deploy to Andersen AFB, Guam, in January. The deployment supports U.S. Pacific Command's theater security packages in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Cynthia Spalding)

The fighters and associated personnel will deploy from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.

The deployment supports U.S. Pacific Command's theater security packages in the Western Pacific and follows the recent departure from the theater of two deployed squadrons of F-22s that also were supporting U.S. PACOM's TSP. The fighters and personnel deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, and Kadena Air Base, Japan, completed their redeployment in October 2009. The F-22 is a transformational combat aircraft that can avoid enemy detection, cruises at supersonic speeds, is highly maneuverable, and provides the joint force an unprecedented level of integrated situational awareness.

As part of continuing force posture adjustments to address worldwide requirements, U.S. officials continue to deploy additional forces throughout the Western Pacific. This is the latest example of the flexibility U.S. forces have to meet their ongoing commitments and security obligations throughout the pacific region.

F-22A Raptors Roaming Skies Over Okinawa

F-22A Raptors Roaming Skies Over Okinawa

(NSI News Source Info) KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — February 2, 2009: Air Force F-22A Raptors are surreptitiously roaming the Pacific skies to train and provide security support to the Western Pacific. Twelve of the stealthy fighters, assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron, arrived at Kadena Air Base from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last month and will be deployed in Okinawa for about three months. This is the second deployment for the squadron, which debuted the jets at Kadena in 2007. Another dozen or so Raptors from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska are participating in a similar deployment rotation at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. An F-22A Raptor shoots out a flare during an air combat training mission at Kadena Air Base. The goal this time around, said squadron commander Lt. Col. Lansing Pilch, is to focus on improving joint combat capabilities with Kadena’s fighter squadrons and Navy and Marine assets. The Raptor can perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. About 250 maintenance and combat support personnel from the 27th Fighter Squadron accompanied the aircraft, Kadena officials said. “It’s an outstanding opportunity to fly with pilots that have never flown with the F-22s before,” Pilch said. “It allows us to be a stronger fighter force.” The F-22A can cruise at supersonic speeds and evade radar detection, making it virtually invisible to threats. The Raptors, which became operational in 2005, are also the military’s most costly jets — running about $142 million each, according to an Air Force fact sheet said. The jets are eventually to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of F-15s. Staff Sgt. Wesley Goff, an avionics specialist with the 27th Fighter Squadron who helps maintain the F-22As, said understanding the jet’s mechanics and technology takes some adjustment. Goff has worked on F-117A, the Air Force’s first stealth fighter, and said the strides in aviation technology are impressive. A crew chief walks around an F-22 Raptor at a squad bay on the flightline at Kadena Air Base on Thursday. The 27th Fighter Squadron, based at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, brought 12 Raptors to Kadena for training. “Just the nature of its (F-22A’s) capabilities is unbelievable,” Goff said. More than 100 pilots have been trained to fly the F-22A, Pilch said. Pilch, who’s flown F-15s and F-16s, said the F-22A’s design, speed and avionics technology gives him greater depth in tactical situations. “It makes the aircraft extremely capable, it has great maneuverability, and it allows me to have a great picture of what’s going on around me,” Pilch said. “Everyone wants to say their jet is the best, but this is it.”

US Air Force Deploys 24 F-22s To Asia As Decision Nears / Largest Deployment Of F-22s Under Way

US Air Force Deploys 24 F-22s To Asia As Decision Nears / Largest Deployment Of F-22s Under Way

(NSI News Source Info) HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii - January 26, 2009: Twenty-four F-22 Raptors and hundreds of Airmen deployed to the Pacific region for a three-month deployment in support of the Pacific global deterrence mission.

The US Air Force has deployed 24 F-22s to Guam and Japan to demonstrate the aircraft’s capabilities. This is an unusual shot of an F-22 fitted with long-range drop tanks.

Twelve F-22s deployed from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, arrived Jan. 18 to Andersen AFB, Guam, and the week prior 12 F-22s from Langley AFB, Va., began arriving at Kadena Air Base, Japan.

The F-22s and Airmen are part of ongoing rotations of forces to ensure security and stability throughout the region. Members of both squadrons will conduct air combat training with Air Force and other U.S. military assets in the region.

F-22s are the Air Force's newest and most advanced fighter, combining stealth, maneuverability, supercruise capability and superior avionics to provide the U.S. with unmatched air dominance.