Two Russian fighters intercepted a pair of B-52H Stratofortresses near the Baltic Sea on Monday, a U.S. defense official confirmed Wednesday.
The B-52s were conducting a training flight when the Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted them near Kaliningrad. The defense official said the interception was safe and professional, and the B-52s continued with their planned flight.
Reuters first reported the interception.
The B-52s are part of a bomber task force mission that deployed to Europe in early November. During Monday’s flight, the B-52s carried out their first simulated weapons drop in Finland and integrated with Finnish F/A-18C Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens.
The bombers, which are assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, took off from RAF Fairford in England.
The Air Force said the training mission showed how Finland is playing an increasingly important role in NATO, which it joined last year. During the flight, dubbed Exercise Apex Jet, U.S. forces learned from their Finnish allies and practiced operating together as a team.
“This bomber task force mission exemplifies our unwavering commitment to our European allies and partners,” Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, said in a Tuesday release. “Together, we build stronger, more strategic relationships that reinforce security and stability across the region.”
The interaction between the U.S. bombers and Russian fighters comes during a pivotal and tense period in U.S. and Russia relations over the war in Ukraine. The Biden administration is working to rush military aid, including landmines, to Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, and has authorized Ukraine to use Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, on targets in Russian territory.
On Thursday, Russia launched an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Reuters later reported, citing Ukrainian government sources, that the missile contained dummy warheads without explosives.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
