A pair of US Navy fighter jets were scrambled on Sunday to escort two Russian bombers that approached the USS Ronald Reagan in the Sea of Japan.
As CNN first reported on Tuesday, citing two American defense officials familiar with the matter, the interaction between the US Navy F/A-18 Hornets and their Russian counterparts was characterized as safe and professional.
Russia’s TU-95MS Bear aircraft then left the area without further incident.
Two US Navy F/A-18 Hornets on Sunday were scrambled from the USS Ronald Reagan (pictured) in the Sea of Japan to escort away two Russian bombers
The TU-95 MS Bears reportedly came within 80 miles of the US aircraft carrier
The Russian news agency Tass.ru reported, citing Russia’s Ministry of Defense, that the TU-95s were carrying out scheduled flights over neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the western part of the Pacific Ocean.
Besides the US fighter jets, Japan’s aircraft also followed the Russian bombers, which came within 80 miles of the USS Ronald Reagan.
The 100,000-ton aircraft carrier operating in the US Navy’s 7th Fleet area of operations was joined last week by USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz in anticipation of a rare military exercise, which is expected to commence around the same time that President Donald Trump is traveling to the region, including visits to South Korea and China.
During a Pentagon briefing last week, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, raised the prospect of the three carriers operating together at some point, but he provided no details. A US official confirmed the plans for an exercise, but wasn’t able to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
Three Navy aircraft carriers and the ships that accompany them are currently thousands of miles apart in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. But they are moving through the region and could be closer together in weeks.
The interaction between the US F/A-18s (picturted) and their Russian counterparts was later deemed safe and professional
The exercise plan has not been publicly announced, and officials would not say exactly where or when it would take place.
McKenzie said the last time three carriers operated together was in 2007. At that time, it was for a naval exercise off Guam.
The US has been moving to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea, in an effort to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
And the Trump administration has made it clear that the US is prepared to take military action if the North does not halt its development of missiles that could strike the US, potentially with a nuclear warhead.
Trump is scheduled to embark on his 12-day trip to Asia beginning on November 3, with planned stops in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.