Two F-22s from JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, intercepted Russian Tu-95 Bears off the coast of Alaska on Monday. Two Russian bombers were tracked flying in international airspace, when the two F-22s were scrambled and conducted an intercept the Pentagon said was “safe and professional,” according to The Associated Press. The bombers flew as close as 100 miles from Alaska’s Kodiak Island, and F-22s flew alongside the bombers for about 12 minutes, according to AP.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
