US and South Korean fighter jets scrambled to turn back a Russian bomber that approached a US aircraft carrier during training exercises, South Korean and US officials said yesterday.
The Russian plane flew close to the USS Nimitz in waters off South Korea's eastern coast on Wednesday, but retreated shortly after the fighter jets approached, an official at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said on condition of anonymity, citing policy.
The official refused to provide details of the fighter jets involved.
Yonhap news agency quoted an unidentified military official as saying two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters from the carrier and four South Korean F-16 jets were deployed to intercept the Russian plane.
The Russian navy confirmed that a Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft flew over the American carrier, calling it a routine mission over the open sea.
"Attempts by US officials to portray almost every flight of the Russian military aviation, including our naval aviation, over the world ocean as some sort of breach are appalling," Igor Dygalo, assistant to the navy commander in chief, said, according to Russia's Interfax-AVN news agency.
In February, US fighter planes intercepted two Russian bombers - one directly flying over the Nimitz in the western Pacific ocean.
In Washington, a defense official downplayed the significance of the latest incident.
"We don't view this activity as threatening or of concern," the official said.
The official said it was standard operating procedure for Navy aircraft to escort a plane flying near its ships.
To get close to the US carrier, the Russian plane intruded into a South Korean-controlled air defense zone above the open sea, Yonhap reported.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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