A RUSSIAN bomber has been intercepted by US fighter jets as it approached an aircraft carrier off the Korean coast – the second such incident in less than a month.
According to US officials, a Russian bomber came within three to five nautical miles and flew 610m above the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its accompanying ships overnight.
Two US F/A-18 fighters were launched to intercept the Russian aircraft and escort it out of the area, according to one defense official.
Russian bombers over the past year have increased their flights near US territory and US naval assets, demonstrating their long-range strike capability.
In February, two Russian bombers approached the Nimitz near Japan and one flew over the carrier, escorted by a US fighter jet. That was the first Russian overflight of a US carrier since 2004.
These operations come as Russian officials said they would revive some of the military power and reach allowed to collapse with the Soviet Union.
US defence officials said they did not consider the Russian bomber flight a threat or concern.
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March 6, 2008 at 5:39 am