Alaska

Alaska map shows where Russian, Chinese nuclear bombers circled U.S. shores

Published

4 months ago

July 30, 2024

Alaska map shows where Russian, Chinese nuclear bombers circled U.S. shores

A rough map released by a pro-Kremlin blogger on Sunday purported to show how a formation of Russian and Chinese nuclear-capable bombers circled the U.S. coast off Alaska last week.

The Rybar military channel on Telegram suggested the two Russian Tu-95MS and two Chinese H-6K strategic bombers took off together from Anadyr airfield in Russia’s eastern Chukotka region, which would mark the first time assets from both air forces have shared a base of operations.

U.S. and Canadian fighter aircraft under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted the air group late on July 24 inside the Alaska air defense zone. The activity was “not seen as a threat,” NORAD said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the air patrol—the first time Chinese warplanes had approached Alaska—came within 200 miles of the U.S. coast, presumably in the Bering Sea. He said the joint operation was “not a surprise.”

After yet another sign of military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, Russia’s state television was bullish about the pointed maneuvers, and Rybar, the military blogger, called for the patrols to be regularized.

Russia’s Defense Ministry later released footage of what it said was a five-hour patrol in the Chukchi and Bering seas in the North Pacific, escorted by Russian Su-30SM and Su-35S jets.

Rybar’s post, however, suggested the activity took place in two parts, with NORAD aircraft—U.S. Air Force F-16s and F-35s and Canadian CF-18s—scrambled to intercept the air group north of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

The mixed-use Anadyr military airfield has long been a staging ground for long-range aviation units including the Tu-95MS. The blogger’s map indicates Russia’s cruise missile bombers were flown there before the mission, likely from Ukrainka air base in the Amur region bordering China.

And while there was little information about the Chinese long-ranger bombers involved in the now annual air drill, the planes could have been dispatched from the mixed-use Anqing air base, where is located an H-6K aircraft division, under the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command.

NORAD Jets Intercept Russia, Chinese Bombers — North American Aerospace Defense Command CF-18 Hornets prepare to take off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska during regular NORAD operations to positively identify and intercept two Russian Tu-95 and two Chinese H-6 military aircraft operating near Alaska on July 24.
Senior Airman Julia Lebens/U.S. Air Force

In a more detailed release on Monday—the first since NORAD’s initial announcement—the Alaskan Command said the air intercept mission was carried out by aircraft from Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Air defense identification zones, or ADIZ, are not considered sovereign airspace, but the self-declared areas—found extensively in Asia—are used to identify and control approaching foreign aircraft.

The Tu-95 and H-6 bombers were escorted “over international waters until they exited the ADIZ,” the statement said.

NORAD jets Intercept Chinese Bomber Off Alaska

Left to right: A Chinese air force H-6 strategic bomber is intercepted by U.S. F-16 and F-35 and Canadian CF-18 fighter aircraft under the direction of the North American Aerospace and Defense Command, or NORAD,…

NORAD

“The vastness of Alaska brings unique challenges when it comes to ensuring the United States and Canada are defended,” Maj. Brent Rist of the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Eielson was quoted as saying.

“To put things into perspective, it’s similar to fighter jets taking off from Denver to protect D.C. and then fly back. This distance exposes all assets to complex scenarios and risk, especially with weather in Alaska,” Rist said in the Alaskan Command release.

The command said the intercept was supported by a number of other assets including airborne early warning and refueling aircraft.

The Russian and Chinese defense ministries could not be reached for comment after hours. Last week, both governments said the joint training did not target any third party.

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Alaska

State of Alaska will defend its right to facilitate oil and gas development

Published

2 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

State of Alaska will defend its right to facilitate oil and gas development

Last week, Superior Court Judge Andrew Guidi indicated he will rule that Alaska does not have authority to permit access across its lands to facilitate oil and gas development on the North Slope.

The Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources plans to fight and appeal any final adverse ruling that undermines the state’s constitutional interests in resource development.

The Department of Natural Resources has issued a permit allowing Oil Search Alaska (OSA) to cross the Kuparuk River Unit, operated by Conoco Phillips Alaska, to develop the Pikka Unit. As described in the State’s brief to the court, “the denial of such access implicates the delay of development of millions of barrels of oil and billions of dollars of public revenues.”

“The State of Alaska has a constitutional obligation to maximize the development of our resources,” DNR Commissioner John Boyle said on Nov. 22. “We have to confirm with the Supreme Court that we have the authority to permit access for all developers to ensure we can meet this obligation.”

Once the Superior Court issues the final judgement, Alaska will be able to file its appeal. This is expected to occur in the coming weeks.

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Alaska

Close encounters with the Juneau kind: Woman reports strange lights in Southeast Alaska skies

Published

10 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Close encounters with the Juneau kind: Woman reports strange lights in Southeast Alaska skies

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – For Juneau resident Tamara Roberts, taking photos of the northern lights was just a hobby — that is until a different light altogether caught her eye.

Capturing what she’s called strange lights in the skies of Juneau near her home on Thunder Mountain, Roberts said she’s taken 30 to 40 different videos and photos of the lights since September 2021.

“Anytime I’m out, I’m pretty sure that I see something at least a couple times a week,” Roberts said. “I’m definitely not the only one that’s seeing them. And if people just pay more attention, they’ll notice that those aren’t stars and those aren’t satellites.”

Roberts has been a professional photographer for over 20 years. She said she changed interests from photographing people to wildlife and landscape when she moved to Juneau 13 years ago.

Once she started making late-night runs trying to capture the northern lights, she said that’s when she started encountering her phenomenon.

Roberts said not every encounter takes place above Thunder Mountain: her most recent sighting happened near the Mendenhall Glacier while her stepmom was visiting from Arizona.

“She’d never been here before, so we got up and we drove up there, and lo and behold, there it was,” Roberts said. “I have some family that absolutely thinks it’s what it is, and I have some family that just doesn’t care.”

Roberts described another recent encounter near the glacier she said was a little too close for comfort. While driving up alone in search of the northern lights, she expected to see other fellow photographers out for the same reason as she normally does.

But this night was different.

“I’ve gone up there a million times by myself, and this night, particularly, it was clear, it was cold and the [aurora] KP index was high … so as I’m driving up and there’s nobody there. And I was like, Okay, I’ll just wait and somebody will show up.’ So I backed up into the parking spot underneath the street light — the only light that’s really there on that side of the parking lot — and I turned all my lights off, left my car running, looked around, and there was that light right there, next to the mountain.”

Roberts said after roughly 10 minutes of filming the glowing light, still not seeing anyone else around, she started to get a strange feeling that maybe she should leave.

“I just got this terrible gut feeling,” Roberts said. “I started to pull out of my parking spot and my car sputtered. [It] scared me so bad that I just gunned the accelerator, but my headlights … started like flashing and getting all crazy.

“I had no headlights, none all the way home, no headlights.”

According to the Juneau Police Department, there haven’t been any reports of strange lights in the sky since Sept. 14, when police say a man was reportedly “yelling about UFOs in the downtown area.”

Responding officers said they did not locate anything unusual, and no arrests were made following the man’s report.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service in Juneau also said within the last seven days, no reports of unusual activity in the skies had been reported. The Federal Aviation Administration in Juneau did not respond.

With more and more whistleblowers coming forward in Congressional hearings, Roberts said she thinks it’s only a matter of time before the truth is out there.

“Everybody stayed so quiet all these years for the fear of being mocked,” Roberts said. “Now that people are starting to come out, I think that people should just let the reality be what it is, and let the evidence speak for itself, because they’re here, and that’s all there is to it.”

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Alaska

‘We’re ready to test ourselves’: UAA women’s hoops faces tallest task yet in another edition of the Great Alaska Shootout

Published

18 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

‘We’re ready to test ourselves’: UAA women’s hoops faces tallest task yet in another edition of the Great Alaska Shootout

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Heading into Friday’s game with a 6-1 record, Alaska Anchorage women’s basketball is faced with a tall task.

The Seawolves are set to face Division I Troy in the opening round of the 2024 Great Alaska Shootout. Friday’s game is the first meeting between the two in program history.

“We’re gonna get after it, hopefully it goes in the hoop for us,” Seawolves head coach Ryan McCarthy said. “We’re gonna do what we do. We’re not going to change it just because it’s a shootout. We’re going to press these teams and we’re going to try to make them uncomfortable. We’re excited to test ourselves.”

Beginning the season 1-4, the Trojans have faced legitimate competition early. Troy has played two ranked opponents to open the season, including the 2023 national champion and current top-10 ranked Louisiana State University on Nov. 18. The Trojans finished runner-up in the Sun Belt Conference with a 15-3 record last season.

“At the end of the day, they’re women’s basketball players too. They’re the same age as us and they might look bigger, faster and stronger, but we have some great athletes here,” junior guard Elaina Mack said. “We’re more disciplined, we know that we put in a lot of work, and we have just as good of a chance to win this thing as anybody else does.”

The 41st edition of the tournament is also set to feature Vermont and North Dakota State. The two Div. I squads will battle first ahead of UAA’s match Friday night.

All teams will also play Saturday in a winner and loser bracket to determine final results.

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