NATO fighter jets intercepted Russian Tu-160s over the Norwegian Sea
Norwegian F-35 fighter jets took to the skies and intercepted Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers that were on a long-range flight over the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. The incident took place in a NATO area of heightened concern in the Arctic, where Russian air activity has been increasing recently. Moscow described the sortie as a training exercise, but NATO views it as a show of force.
The Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, remained airborne for about 16 hours and flew over the Barents and Norwegian Seas, escorted by MiG-31 fighters.
In response to the approach to NATO’s area of interest, two Norwegian F-35s were scrambled as part of the rapid response system. “Two F-35 fighter jets from the Royal Norwegian Air Force were promptly dispatched to intercept the potential threat,” a senior NATO military official told Newsweek.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that this was a “scheduled training flight” taking place in international airspace. At the same time, video footage released by the Russian side shows Western aircraft escorting a group of bombers. NATO regularly scrambles aircraft when Russian planes approach the Alliance’s airspace, especially in the Arctic region, where increased military activity by Russia and China has been observed.
Norway, as a key part of NATO’s northern flank, has more than 50 F-35 fighter jets, some of which are on constant standby as part of the QRA system. Pilots must take to the air within approximately 15 minutes of detecting suspicious or unknown aerial targets, and they carry out dozens of such combat missions each year, according to Newsweek.
