Flights of Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft off the coast of Alaska are becoming a problem for American pilots who have to meet them in the air. At the same time, the United States recognizes that Russian aircraft can be in this buffer zone legally.
According to Popular Mechanics, if in 2015 there were 10 interceptions of Russian aircraft off the coast of Alaska, then in 2020 - already 60. At the same time, the Russian Air Force does not approach the airspace of the US state, but American pilots are still lifted into the air for escort. This is required by the operation to protect the country's airspace "Noble Eagle", which started after the events of September 11, 2001. Each such interception forces the F-22 and tanker aircraft to be lifted into the air, and also increases the load on their crews.
The buffer zone around Alaska is thousands of square miles of air space. A foreign aircraft will not be considered an intruder if it flies more than 12 miles from American territory. At the same time, every Russian aircraft is of concern to the US military, because, being in the buffer zone, if desired, it can very quickly enter the airspace of Alaska.
The author of the publication writes that, apparently, many flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces in this territory are training, since the actual distance between Russia and the United States is minimal here. But the American F-22 Raptor still has to respond to them. As a rule, Russian pilots fly Tu-95 bombers, anti-submarine IL-38 and upgraded IL-38N, as well as Su-35 fighters.
Maya Biryukova
