A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress long-range bomber flies over the Baltic Sea during exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2020, June 15, 2020. (Damon Grosvenor/U.S. Navy)
Two U.S. Air Force long-range bombers were intercepted Monday by Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea, a defense official confirmed.
The B-52H Stratofortresses were in international airspace flying a pre-planned route, the official said Wednesday.
The incident occurred the same day two long-range bombers conducted a simulated weapons drop training mission as part of integrated training with Finnish and Swedish fighter jets.
The bombers are assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, based at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
It is unclear if the pair of bombers involved in the interception were the same bombers training with Finland and Sweden.
This is not the first time U.S. bombers have had a close call with Russian aircraft in the militarily important Arctic region. In July, two B-52H Stratofortresses were intercepted by Russian fighters over the Barents Sea on a preplanned mission that involved coordination with NATO fighter planes, the U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa said.
In Europe, encounters between allied and Russian aircraft are relatively commonplace. In most cases, intercepts occur over international airspace without incident.
However, allies on occasion have accused Russia of crossing into their airspace. In June, Finland said four Russian military aircraft crossed into its airspace for several minutes.
Other aerial confrontations have risked potential escalation between Russia and the U.S. military, such as when a Russian fighter in March 2023 collided with a U.S. drone over the Black Sea, forcing the unmanned aircraft to crash into international waters.
