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| USS Ronald Reagan |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The U.S. Navy scrambled four fighter jets to intercept two Russian warplanes in waters off the Korean Peninsula.
Two Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft flew within one nautical mile of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, prompting the dispatch of four F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Reagan to intercept the Russian warplanes, AFP reports. The Reagan was sailing off the Korean Peninsula at the time of the incident.
The Tu-142 aircraft were flying at an altitude of 500 feet approximately one nautical mile away from the aircraft carrier, which was operating in international waters in the Sea of Japan as part of a joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercise.
A naval vessel escorting the Reagan attempted to contact the aircraft but did not receive a response. This led to the sending of the F/A-18 Super Hornets fighter jets from the Reagan’s flight deck to intercept and escort the Tu-142s –”standard operating procedure,” according to the U.S. Navy.
The Tupolev T-142 is a maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. It is derived from the Tu-95, which, along with the Tu-160, constitutes the current backbone of Russia’s long-range and strategic aviation.
Read the full story at The Diplomat