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 Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.