Officials say incident involving Bear warplanes flying low and close to aircraft carrier was unusual but ‘safe’ and took place in international waters

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier scrambled four fighter jets to intercept approaching Russian warplanes as it carried out a military exercise on Tuesday in the Sea of Japan, Pentagon and White House officials said on Thursday.



The two Russian “Bear” planes came as close as a nautical mile from the carrier and were flying at a low-altitude, about 500 feet (152m) above sea level, the officials said.

US authorities described the plane as a TU-145: a long-range anti-submarine warfare plane and variant of the TU-95 Bear strategic bomber.

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The incident, although unusual, was characterised by the Pentagon as “safe”.

“There was nothing to indicate they were posing a direct threat,” said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis.

The US navy had been carrying out an exercise with South Korean ships in international waters at the time of the incident.

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest distinguished the incident from concerns previously raised by the US about the conduct of Russian military aircraft, including incursions into Turkish airspace in recent weeks.

“This was a little bit different than that. These are international waters,” Earnest said.