F-22's and Bears. Any photos?

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“U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors reportedly conducted their first-ever intercept of Russian Bear H bombers on Thanksgiving Day.

Military sources tell In From the Cold that the intercept occurred as the Russian aircraft approached Alaskan airspace, near the Aleutian Islands. F-22s from Elmendorf AFB were scrambled to intercept the Russian bombers, which were detected at long range by radar and intelligence systems. The Raptors flew alongside the TU-95s for a few minutes before the bombers turned and headed back toward Russian airspace. One of the photographs taken during the intercept reportedly shows the F-22’s shadow falling across the fuselage of the Bear H.

The Thanksgiving mission was the latest by Moscow’s long-range bomber squadrons, which have become increasingly aggressive in recent months, after years of inactivity. Over the past year, Bear and TU-160 Blackjack have flown a series of high-profile sorties against Norway, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Alaska and Guam. Similar missions were flown during the Cold War, and analysts say the recent flights are symbolic of a resurgent Russian military, under President Vladimir Putin.

Last Thursday’s intercept came barely three months after the F-22s arrived in Alaska. Elmendorf’s 3rd Fighter Wing will eventually operate two squadrons of the fifth-generation fighters. The Air Force is pushing to buy more Raptors (beyond the current production run of 183 aircraft), but critics have complained about the cost of the program. At $130 million a copy, the F-22 is more far expensive than the F-15s and F-16s that form the backbone of the USAF fighter inventory, but the Raptor offers advanced capabilities (stealth, supercruise) that the older jets can’t match.

In that regard, the Thanksgiving intercept may have been an inadvertent gift from the Russians. The Air Force will use the mission as proof of an escalating threat, that must be met by state-of-the-art fighters like the F-22.”