Canada intercepts Russian bombers in the Arctic

Posted By Joshua Keating Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - 1:04 PM Share

It seems there was some excitement in the far north yesterday:

Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian bombers in the Arctic as they approached Canadian airspace on the eve of a visit from Canada's prime minister to observe an Arctic military exercise, a spokesman for the prime minister said Wednesday.

Dimitri Soudas, Stephen Harper's director of communications, said two Canadian CF-18 jets shadowed a pair of Russian Tu-95 Bear jets in international airspace Tuesday.

This isn't the first time this has happened either. Canada is in the process of constructing two military bases in the region in response to recent aggressive moves by Russia.

But don't panic quite yet. In the current issue of Foreign Policy, Lawson Brigham argues that, despite the increased competition for resources as polar ice melts, a military confrontation in the region is highly unlikely.

AFP/Getty Images

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DICKHILL

1:41 PM ET

August 25, 2010

Russian bombers in the Arctic

Looks like an old photo to me, The photo's weather conditions do not relate to August 25th reality for the area over the Beaufort Sea.

CARADOC

9:18 AM ET

August 26, 2010

One thing you can count on...

One thing you can count on in this....Stephen Harper will milk it for political gain right up until his wrists give out. A more ideological hidebound, boring and unimaginative thinker one could not ask for. I expected better from him, but he's turned into the same old pathological political game player he used to criticize so ardently. Are the Liberals any better? Of course not, but after six years of endless opposition-baiting, needless confidence votes and two arguably anti-democratic prorogations of Parliament, a change is looking as good as a rest for voters.

BEEZLE

10:04 AM ET

August 26, 2010

Not Jets

Whatever press that quote came from really should fire the writer/editor. If it is not obvious from the photo, those are TURBOPROPS, four Kuznetsov NK-12MV turboprops, 14,795 shp each to be specific.

This would be like us sending a B-52 up there. Odds of survival in a real event - approaching 0.

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