Russian 'Bear' Bomber Planes Seen Near Alaska Made to Carry Heavy Payloads

Two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" bomber planes capable of carrying heavy payloads over long distances were intercepted as they flew near Alaska on Monday, according to a joint U.S.-Canada air defense organization.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement Tuesday that the Russian planes were "detected, tracked, positively identified and intercepted" while entering and operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The Federal Aviation Administration defines an ADIZ as "an area of airspace over land or water in which the ready identification, location, and control of all aircraft...is required in the interest of national security."

"Two U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft intercepted the Russian aircraft which remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace," the release said.

Though NORAD said in the release that the Russian activity was not viewed as a "threat" or "provocative," the encounter came as Russian relations with the U.S. and other Western countries have grown increasingly tense amid the war in Ukraine. The bomber planes flying near Canada are especially notable in the context of one Russian lawmaker's threat in July that Russia could look to reclaim Alaska from the U.S.

"When they [U.S. lawmakers] attempt to appropriate our assets abroad, they should be aware that we also have something to claim back," State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said during a meeting with Russian officials, apparently referencing heavy sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Russia.

Alaska was part of Russia until the U.S. purchased the territory on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million, according to the National Archives. Russia's Big Diomede Island and Alaska's Little Diomede Island are less than three miles apart at their closest point in the Bering Strait, while mainland Alaska and Russia are 55 miles apart at their closest point between Alaska's Seward Peninsula and Russia's Chukotka Peninsula, according to Alaska's official website.

Covering such a distance would not be an issue for the Russian "Bear" planes, which were developed after Soviet planners in 1950 requested a bomber plane that could carry 12 tons of bombs and travel 5,000 miles, The National Interest reported. The resulting Tu-95 is capable of traveling at more than 500 mph and can fly more than 9,000 miles on just internal fuel, according to the publication.

NORAD detailed in the release Tuesday how it tracks and identifies foreign military planes in the ADIZ, and stressed its commitment to defending the area.

"NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based radars, airborne radar and fighter aircraft to track and identify aircraft and inform appropriate actions," the release said. "We remain ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America and Arctic sovereignty."

Lauren Ott, director of public affairs for the Alaskan Command of the U.S. Air Force, told Newsweek that the recent Russian activity was "in line with what we have seen in the past."

There have been six or seven intercepts with Russian military aircraft on average every year since 2007, when Russia resumed out-of-area Long Range Aviation activity, but the numbers of intercepts have varied annually from as low as zero to as high as 15, Ott added.

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.

Updated 10/13/22, 4:59 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from Lauren Ott.