Russia Resumes Nuke Bomber Sorties

[Ryan Ruck]

I agree 100%. I can't help but shake my head when I read the above or something like a post elsewhere, "That thing is so old, the British should have sent up some Spitfires to intercept them."

Spifires?!?! Those things are about 200 MPH slower than the Bears and wouldn't have a prayer of catching them. And, even if they could, the Bear's radar guided tail gun would shoot them down before the pilot could even get near it. Spitfires... What a stupid thing to say.

[American Patriot]

Spitefires can move at 365 mph, minus armor plating. Drop about 10 mph off that with.

According to what I can find, open sourced, the speeds of the TU-92 are roughly 500mph (it is rated anywhere from 400 mph through 800 mph, depending on the sources you read. Unfortunately, I don't know which is right). Even so, I would suspect that the Bear can beat a prop fighter without a problem.

[Ryan Ruck]

Just used Wiki as a quick reference as I couldn't remember the numbers offhand. I knew the Bear was faster, just didn't know how much faster.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu-95

[Brian Baldwin]

http://www.icelandreview.com/iceland..._0_a_id=290023

Two far-reaching Russian Tupolev 95 bombers entered the Icelandic air observation zone north of the country yesterday morning. British military jets flew towards the bombers and followed them to the northern limits of the observation zone.
The Russian aircrafts circled Iceland and flew as close as 43 nautical miles offshore, but without entering Icelandic airspace, ruv.is reports.
According to a statement from Iceland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it received information from Russia about the flight on Wednesday night.
Iceland’s Radar Agency monitored the bombers during the entire flight and exchanged information with appropriate military authorities within NATO, including Norway and Britain.
Earlier this month eight Russian military jets flew near Iceland without notifying Icelandic authorities.

[Ryan Ruck]

Good thing we pulled our forces out of Iceland, eh?

[Brian Baldwin]

I wonder about that sometimes... I wonder if we were baiting them to come out of hiding once again?

[Ryan Ruck]

More Russian Jets Appear Off The Northern Norway Coast

The Norwegian military scrambled fighter jets twice on Thursday, to monitor yet another series of flights by Russian jets just outside Norwegian air space.

The Norwegian F-16 fighter jets took off from Bodø in the early morning hours to keep an eye on Russia bombers flying in international airspace off the Norwegian coast.

It was the latest of several such incidents in recent months, as Russia apparently is trying to assert its presence in the north. The Russians have stepped up military exercises from its Arctic bases and flown near Norway and the UK, both members of NATO.

A Norwegian military spokesman said the Russian aircraft stayed well away from the coast and did not near Norwegian territory.

[Ryan Ruck]

More Russian Jets Appear Off The Northern Norway Coast

The Norwegian military scrambled fighter jets twice on Thursday, to monitor yet another series of flights by Russian jets just outside Norwegian air space.

The Norwegian F-16 fighter jets took off from Bodø in the early morning hours to keep an eye on Russia bombers flying in international airspace off the Norwegian coast.

It was the latest of several such incidents in recent months, as Russia apparently is trying to assert its presence in the north. The Russians have stepped up military exercises from its Arctic bases and flown near Norway and the UK, both members of NATO.

A Norwegian military spokesman said the Russian aircraft stayed well away from the coast and did not near Norwegian territory.

[Ryan Ruck]

Fighter Jets Scrambled Again (Norway)

Two interceptors were scrambled to identify air traffic in international airspace north of Finnmark, Norway, late Friday evening.

The two fighter jets from Bodø Air Base took off just before 20:00 local Norwegian time, after they were alerted by NATO's Air Operation Centre CAOC 3 on Reitan, Norway.

This according to Lt. Col. John Espen Lien at Landsdelskommando Nord-Norge (Land Command North Norway).

He states that it was probably Russian planes.

It is most likely, because the planes stayed in and outside Russian air space, he says.

The planes turned around and disappeared before the Norwegian jets made a visual identification, and did not violate Norwegian air space.

Russian violations of Norwegian air space is a rare occurrence, Lien says.

Fighters from Bodø Air Base have been on the wings several times lately, because of Russian bombers closing in on the Norwegian borders. Yesterday two F-16s from Bodø were scrambled to observe Russian bombers close to Norwegian territory.

According to Lien the number of identifications of unknown airplanes had reached 50 in mid-August.

As a comparison, it was only made out identifications of 3 planes on two occasions in 1998. 10 years earlier the number of ID missions were up to 88, while the number of identified planes was 225.

We have noted a significant increase in Russian aerial activity, he says.

[Ryan Ruck]

Fighter Jets Scrambled Again (Norway)

Two interceptors were scrambled to identify air traffic in international airspace north of Finnmark, Norway, late Friday evening.

The two fighter jets from Bodø Air Base took off just before 20:00 local Norwegian time, after they were alerted by NATO's Air Operation Centre CAOC 3 on Reitan, Norway.

This according to Lt. Col. John Espen Lien at Landsdelskommando Nord-Norge (Land Command North Norway).

He states that it was probably Russian planes.

It is most likely, because the planes stayed in and outside Russian air space, he says.

The planes turned around and disappeared before the Norwegian jets made a visual identification, and did not violate Norwegian air space.

Russian violations of Norwegian air space is a rare occurrence, Lien says.

Fighters from Bodø Air Base have been on the wings several times lately, because of Russian bombers closing in on the Norwegian borders. Yesterday two F-16s from Bodø were scrambled to observe Russian bombers close to Norwegian territory.

According to Lien the number of identifications of unknown airplanes had reached 50 in mid-August.

As a comparison, it was only made out identifications of 3 planes on two occasions in 1998. 10 years earlier the number of ID missions were up to 88, while the number of identified planes was 225.

We have noted a significant increase in Russian aerial activity, he says.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Bear Bombers Fly Along Alaskan, Canadian Coastline

Two Russian strategic Tu-95MS Bear-H bombers carried out a flight along the coasts of Alaska and Canada during recent command and post exercises, the Russian Air Force announced Thursday.

"Each Tu-95 plane took about 30 tons of fuel on board, for the first time since the Soviet era. Their average flight duration was about 17 hours, during which the planes covered a distance of over 13,000 km [8,000 miles]," said Alexander Drobyshevsky, an aide to the Air Force commander.

According to the Air Force, the bombers were refueled in the air by Il-78 Midas tankers.

Drobyshevsky also said another pair of Tu-95MS flew around Greenland into the eastern Atlantic, a flight that took about 12 hours.

President Vladimir Putin announced the resumption of strategic patrol flights on August 17, saying that although the country halted long-distance strategic flights to remote regions in 1992, other nations had continued the practice, compromising Russian national security.

The latest flights were in line with an air patrolling plan, and the planes were accompanied by NATO fighters.

According to various sources, the Russian Air Force currently deploys 141 Tu-22M3 bombers, 40 Tu-95MS bombers, and 14 Tu-160 planes.

[Ryan Ruck]

Cold War Shivers Re-Emerge (Norway)

Norway's military has felt it necessary to dispatch fighter jets 29 times so far this year, to monitor Russian military flights offshore. Now it's emerged that at least one of the Russian aircraft was equipped with a cruise missile.

Newspaper Aftenposten carried a photo of the Russian Tupolev 22 bomber on its front page on Thursday. The photo was taken by a Norwegian fighter jet crew sent out to monitor the flights of two such aircraft about seven weeks ago.

Military officials say the two Russian flights were in "classic position" to fire cruise missiles off Bodø, but both turned away before reaching Norwegian territory, 12 nautical miles from land.

The maneuvers were said to be "unusual," and part of a series of Russian flights in recent months that many are beginning to view as "sabre-rattling" on the part of Russian officials keen to assert their authority in the area.

Norwegian military officials are quick to note that the missile incident wasn't considered a direct provocation. Tor Sandlie, chief of NATO's air operations in northern Norway, told Aftenposten that "we look at this as normal training activity."

On The Agenda

The heightened Russian activity is being closely watched, however, and was a topic of talks this week among the foreign ministers of Norway, Sweden and Finland in the northern city of Bodø. There, they received a briefing from military brass inside a NATO facility.

While 29 Russian military flights have been photographed, an equal number haven't been. The Russian activity over the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas has extended as far south as Great Britain, and it's increasing, but remains nowhere near the scale of activity during the Cold War.

Foreign Ministers Ilkka Kanerva of Finland, Carl Bildt of Sweden and Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway agreed that the activity doesn't appear aimed at the Nordic countries and that it can be considered part of legitimate training operations. Local politicians hope residents of northern Norway won't be frightened by the flights, and instead view them merely as Russian officials' desire to demonstrate that they once again have military muscle.

The ministers, meanwhile, expressed solidarity and cooperation on security issues in the north, with Kanerva of Finland noting that among the three countries, "there aren't any foreign or security policy questions that can't be discussed."

[Ryan Ruck]

Bomber Patrols A Risky Russian Move To US, NATO Challenges

Russia's decision to resume Cold War-style strategic bomber patrols confirms it has revived the political will and economic means to challenge US global dominance and NATO expansion with more than just rhetoric, military analysts say.

But while the move, announced by President Vladimir Putin on Friday, will play well with domestic audiences and may also win the odd plaudit on the international stage, it is fraught with real security risks and ultimately subverts Russia's own long-term national interests, they say.

"The decision was taken many months ago and specially announced on that day and at that place," said Pavel Felgenhauer, a respected independent Russian military expert, referring to the site of joint Russian-Chinese military exercises where Putin chose to announce the renewed patrols.

"This of course is very dangerous. The planes will be flying carrying nuclear weapons and flying in positions from which they can strike the United States," he told Agence France-Presse.

Putin did not explicitly state that the bombers would be armed with nuclear weapons, but experts said his deliberate syntax would be recognized by strategic policy planners as code signifying that this would be the case.

The announcement on resumption of bomber patrols was the latest in a string of steps taken in the wake of a key Putin speech in Munich last February that analysts agree are taking Russian strategic policy in a more aggressive but also more predictable direction.

These steps have included retreat from a landmark treaty limiting conventional forces in Europe, high-profile intercontinental missile tests, threats to retarget European cities with nuclear missiles and floating the idea of a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea.

Experts however differ in evaluating the Kremlin's motives and soundness of judgment in efforts to strike a more assertive pose on the world stage, with some writing the latest development off as theatrical chest-beating and others seeing a direct and dangerous response to US moves.

"Russia could not fail to respond to the expansion of NATO military infrastructure in Europe," said Vladimir Yevseyev, senior researcher with the Center for International Security within the Russian Academy of Science.

"It was important to demonstrate again that Russian bombers can reach targets in the United States," he said in comments published Saturday on a Russian website, www.gazeta.ru.

Russia has eyed expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into eastern Europe warily for years and has more recently expressed furious opposition to US plans to set up missile defenses in two of Moscow's former Warsaw Pact allies not far from Russian borders.

Some analysts said Russia's decision to resume strategic bomber patrols was formulated in direct response to the US missile defense project in particular and to US global domination in general.

While Yevseyev indicated there was military logic in the resumption of long-range strategic bomber patrols, other analysts said the Kremlin's latest move was more about image than actual power.

"I think it's a little early to provoke the US in the context of the strategic balance," said Alexander Pikayev, an independent military analyst.

"It looks nice from a propaganda point of view, but it would have been better to do it a few years later since the United States has vastly more resources than Russia does for responsive measures," he said.

Yevseyev said Russia's resumption of strategic bomber patrols would ratchet up tension between Moscow and Washington and was likely to undermine nuclear non-proliferation efforts worldwide.

He insisted however it was wrong to characterise the trend in US-Russian ties as a return to the Cold War, a view that seemed supported by official statements both in Russia and the United States, where officials downplayed concern over the move.

Yet despite apparent official efforts in Moscow and Washington to portray Russia's increasingly assertive posture as a rational and safe shift in policy direction, Felgenhauer said it was neither.

"The danger is not only that they will be flying with nuclear weapons, like they did during the Cold War, with NATO planes flying alongside and ready to shoot them down instantly," he said.

"The problem also is that the Russian planes are old. The crews -- both pilots and ground crews -- are not as well trained as in Soviet times. There is a higher possibility than before that there will be accidents."

Apart from being dangerous, the decision to resume the patrols was also close to meaningless as a practical matter, Felgenhauer said.

While Russia officially still has around 70 strategic bombers, only between 20 and 30 are flight-worthy, meaning the renewed strategic air patrols "will not seriously enhance Russia's nuclear potential," he said.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Strategic Bomber Patrols At Highest Level Since Collapse Of The USSR

The commander of U.S. forces in Europe said last week that recent stepped up Russian strategic bomber patrols were being watched but are not yet a concern for the U.S. military.

Army Gen. Bantz Craddock, European command chief, told reporters that he did not know what was behind the recent flights of strategic nuclear forces bombers that have triggered air defense warnings and interceptor jet scramblings in areas near the flights in Europe and North America.

"I think that first of all, there's been some, as we know, reinvestment from the decline of the Russian military capability throughout the '90s, with the windfall oil profits, into the military today," Craddock said, including the strategic bomber force.

"Is it cause for concern? I don't know that it's concern. I think it's noteworthy," he said. "We watch it, as we always do. The nations in those flightpaths, where those bombers are coming by, obviously watch for this interdiction of their airspace. Fair enough but at this point, I don't see it as threatening at all."

Russia is rebuilding its military forces, including nuclear forces, after more than a decade of low investment that has led to the loss of capabilities, U.S. officials said.

Asked how unusual the bomber flights were, Craddock said the level of sorties were not unprecedented or at the same levels as before the collapse of the Soviet Union. "But we hadn't seen it in a few years," he said.

[Ryan Ruck]

I have seen no verification of this, have seen no other press outside of a couple non-media/government websites or, know of the reliability of this website so, take it for a grain of salt...

Mr. Putin's Thanksgiving Gift

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors reportedly conducted their first-ever intercept of Russian Bear H bombers on Thanksgiving Day.

Military sources tell In From the Cold that the intercept occurred as the Russian aircraft approached Alaskan airspace, near the Aleutian Islands. F-22s from Elmendorf AFB were scrambled to intercept the Russian bombers, which were detected at long range by radar and intelligence systems. The Raptors flew alongside the Tu-95s for a few minutes before the bombers turned and headed back toward Russian airspace. One of the photographs taken during the intercept reportedly shows the F-22's shadow falling across the fuselage of the Bear H.

The Thanksgiving mission was the latest by Moscow's long-range bomber squadrons, which have become increasingly aggressive in recent months, after years of inactivity. Over the past year, Bear and Tu-160 Blackjack have flown a series of high-profile sorties against Norway, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Alaska and Guam. Similar missions were flown during the Cold War, and analysts say the recent flights are symbolic of a resurgent Russian military, under President Vladimir Putin.

Last Thursday's intercept came barely three months after the F-22s arrived in Alaska. Elmendorf's 3rd Fighter Wing will eventually operate two squadrons of the fifth-generation fighters. The Air Force is pushing to buy more Raptors (beyond the current production run of 183 aircraft), but critics have complained about the cost of the program. At $130 million a copy, the F-22 is more far expensive than the F-15s and F-16s that form the backbone of the USAF fighter inventory, but the Raptor offers advanced capabilities (stealth, supercruise) that the older jets can't match.

In that regard, the Thanksgiving intercept may have been an inadvertent gift from the Russians. The Air Force will use the mission as proof of an escalating threat, that must be met by state-of-the-art fighters like the F-22.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Bombers To Test-Fire Missiles In Bay Of Biscay

Russia has sent two long-range bombers to the Bay of Biscay, off the French and Spanish Atlantic coasts, to test-fire missiles in what Moscow billed as its biggest naval exercise in the area since the Soviet era.

Firing missiles off the coastline of two NATO members is the latest in a series of Kremlin moves flexing Moscow's military muscle on the world stage.

Russian bombers joined aircraft carriers, battleships and submarine hunters from the Northern and Black Sea fleets for the Atlantic exercises, which come as the country enters an election campaign to choose a successor to President Putin.

"The air force is taking a very active part in the exercises of the navy's strike force in the Atlantic," the Russian air force said in a statement reported by Reuters. "Today, two strategic Tu-160 bombers departed for exercises in the Bay of Biscay, which ... will carry out a number of missions and will conduct tactical missile launches."

There was no immediate comment from NATO about the exercise.

Mr Putin has used military manoeuvres, including controversial North Sea overflights, to revive domestic and international respect for Russia's armed forces which were shattered by the chaos of the 1990s.

He has also boosted military spending, renewed long-range bomber missions and approved a plan to upgrade Russia's nuclear attack forces, which he said was needed after NATO built up its forces close to Russia's borders.

But some analysts note that while the sabre-rattling is popular at home, Russian military spending in absolute terms is substantially lower than that of China, Britain or France and less than a tenth of that of the United States.

Discipline is also still a major problem for Russia's armed forces, which rely heavily on conscripts and outdated equipment.

Russia last month said it would begin major navy sorties into the Mediterranean, with 11 ships backed up by 47 aircraft, that would then travel to the Atlantic for exercises.

The navy's flagship aircraft carrier, the Soviet-made Admiral Kuznetsov, was leading the fleet in the Atlantic where NATO were trying to keep a close eye on Russian movements, Russian media reported.

"This is the biggest exercise of its kind in the area since Soviet times," a spokesman for Russia's navy said, adding that more details would be released later. There was no further

information about where in the Bay of Biscay, which lies off the west coast of France and the northern coast of Spain, the missile tests were due to take place.

Russia's air force said turbo-prop Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers, codenamed "Bear" by NATO, would join ATO, would join the exercise on Wednesday "From January 23, the aviation component in the zone where the exercises are going on will be widened and the following planes will take part: Tu-160, Tu-95, Tu-22 M3, Il-78, A-50,", the air force said.

[Ryan Ruck]

Photos that are believed to show the first publicly known intercept of a Russian bomber by an F-22.





Note the external drop tanks! Either those were used to give the Raptor much longer legs to ensure a keen eye on the Bear or, perhaps were used to throw off any reliable radar returns that Russian spying might be trying to get off the Raptor. Very interesting though...

The rumor is that the Raptor(s) was (were) tasked with this intercept due to the fleet grounding of the F-15s and that they otherwise would not risk allowing the Russians to gain any more intel on them than they could otherwise get.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Air Force Bomber Briefly Intrudes Into Japanese Airspace

A Russian Air Force bomber briefly intruded into Japanese airspace off the southern part of the Izu Island chain on Saturday morning, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

Japan filed a strong protest via the Russian Embassy in Tokyo over the Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber's intrusion which lasted about three minutes from 7:30 a.m., the ministry said.

Russia, however, denied the aircraft had entered Japanese airspace, Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Alexander Drobyshevsky, head of the Russian Air Force information service, told Itar-Tass that strategic aircraft missions were carried out in line with a plan and in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other countries.

According to the Japanese government, 24 Air Self-Defense Force aircraft, including F-15 fighters, were scrambled to deal with the intrusion off the uninhabited isle of Sofugan, about 650 kilometers south of Tokyo.

Japanese authorities warned the Russian aircraft over the intrusion, but it made no response, the government said.

The Russian bomber flew from the Sea of Okhotsk and traveled southward over the Pacific before entering Japan's airspace, the Defense Agency said.

It is the first time since January 2006 that a Russian military plane has entered Japanese airspace. At that time, a Russian transport aircraft violated Japan's airspace off Rebun Island off the coast of Hokkaido.

Russia had previously intruded into Japanese airspace over the Izu Island chain in September 1975.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia Bombers Get NATO Escort Near Alaska

NATO forces sent jets to escort two Russian long-range air force bombers patrolling neutral skies near Alaska on Wednesday, Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying.

Russia's military has resumed its Cold War practice of flying regular patrols far beyond its borders, and in the last year has also sent turbo-prop Tu-95s over U.S. naval aircraft carriers and the Pacific island of Guam.

Accompanied by two Il-78 refuelling tankers, the two Tu-95 "Bear" bombers flew for 15 hours over the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Air Force spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky as saying.

"In the course of the air patrol, long-range aviation aircraft were escorted by NATO jets in the region of Alaska,"said Drobyshevsky.

Originally designed to drop nuclear bombs, the Tu-95,Russia's equivalent of the U.S. air force's B-52, is a Cold War icon refitted for surveillance and maritime patrols.

Russia, in the eighth year of an economic boom driven by high global oil prices, has raised military funding after years of neglect following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Russian navy has finished construction of mothballed submarines and restarted large-scale naval exercises that shortages of fuel and spare parts had made a rarity.

Analysts say the Kremlin is using its reviving military might to support a policy of projecting Russia's power again on the world stage.

But some military observers say the Russian armed forces are still hampered by a shortage of combat-ready assets and that the exercises are primarily a public relations exercise.

[Ryan Ruck]

More Russian Bombers Flying Off Alaska Coast

16 intercepts by U.S., Canadian jets since July

More and more American and Canadian fighter jets are scrambling and intercepting Russian bombers flying off the Alaskan coast, exacerbating tensions between the former Cold War foes.

There have been 16 such intercepts since July, Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Howie Chandler told the Anchorage Daily News on March 27. That compares with just one in 2005, and none in the previous 10 years, Chandler said.

The Air Force and North American Aerospace Defense Command would not grant an interview and were unable to confirm those numbers by press time.

The most recent incident occurred March 25, when two F-15s from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, scrambled to intercept two Russian Tu-95 Bear heavy bombers.

None of the Russian bombers has entered American airspace, which extends 12 miles out from U.S. soil, said Maj. Allen Herritage, a spokesman for NORAD's Alaska region. Rather, the bombers have been intercepted after entering the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, a buffer that extends even further out.

The intercept sorties have most often been flown by F-15s, though on at least one occasion, in November, two F-22 Raptors greeted the Russians.

There also has been no indication that the bombers were carrying weapons or opened their bomb bay doors, Herritage said.

Russia experts interviewed by Air Force Times said the close encounters undoubtedly increase tensions between the two nations but do not indicate a return to the climate of the Cold War.

Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said the bomber patrols are part of a broader pattern of Russia flexing its military muscle since February 2007, when President Vladimir Putin gave a speech in Munich, Germany, signaling a more aggressive posture toward the West.

Putin followed the speech by announcing in August that Russia would resume long-range bomber patrols that were suspended in 1992. The U.S. and Russia have also been engaged in high-profile disputes about issues such as the U.S. plan to place portions of its missile defense system in Eastern Europe and allowing the former Soviet states of Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO.

Since Putin's speech, Cohen said, the Russian military has increased bomber patrols throughout the Pacific —including near Alaska and Guam — held naval exercises off the coast of France and refurbished its Mediterranean naval bases in Syria.

Such moves are intended to demonstrate that the Russians are rebounding from their problems of the 1990s, a decade that saw Russia's military deteriorate and its international standing plummet, said Mark Conversino, who teaches courses on Russia and Ukraine at the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
Russian military has problems

Russia has embarked on a long-term military modernization effort estimated at between $200 billion and $1 trillion, Cohen said, but its military still has serious problems. Its Bear bombers are prop-driven aircraft developed in the 1950s that are inferior to the American B-52 (Ariel Cohen is wrong, being as they were both developed around the same time and have both received various modernizations, they are at least on par with and in some cases [range and loiter time] superior to the B-52.), Cohen said, and Russia is believed to have lost the capability to manufacture spare parts for the Tu-160 Blackjack, a supersonic bomber comparable to the B-1. (This is 100% blatantly INCORRECT when they are building entirely new aircraft!!) Russia's military also faces significant problems with recruiting and training, he said. (Not as much since the military is getting so much of the Russian government's budgetary pie.)

Still, Conversino said, Russia's vast nuclear arsenal — which the Center for Defense Information estimates at about 10,000 warheads — makes it the only nation capable of destroying the United States. And that makes its bomber patrols worth paying close attention to.

"Even if … this is just their way of poking a finger in our chest, for us not to react I think would be not in our best interest," Conversino said. "If nothing else, I think it does heighten the fact that … continental defense and the NORAD mission is one that we can't ignore."

The bomber patrols also raise the possibility that a routine encounter between Russian bombers and American fighters could escalate beyond the intentions of either side, Conversino said. "Things like this run the risk of an accident or some other unintentional event," he said. "There's certainly a risk there."

But the flip side is that the bomber patrols encourage the U.S. military to be more vigilant, Cohen said. "It puts us on a higher level of alert. It makes us less complacent. And whether we're thinking about … speedboats in the Persian Gulf … or Bear [bombers] or Chinese activities, our Navy and the Air Force have to be … shipshape and [on] as great a state of alert as they can be."