Two F-35
jets were scrambled to escort Russian nuclear-capable Tu-160 supersonic
strategic bombers over the Norwegian Sea on June 22, Newsweek reported
on June 23, citing a senior NATO military official.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that several Tu-160 bombers conducted a training flight over the Barents and Norwegian seas that day. It said Russian MiG-31 fighters accompanied the strategic bombers during the 16-hour mission through international airspace and that “at certain stages of the route, the strategic bombers were escorted by fighters from foreign countries,” without giving further details.
A senior NATO military official told Newsweek that two
Norwegian F-35s responded to the incident. Video released by Moscow shows at
least one F-35 near a Russian aircraft.