US Scrambled F-18 Destroyers To Escort Russia's Tu-142 Over Pacific Ocean-Russian Military

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2021) Russia's Tu-142 antisubmarine aircraft were escorted by the US Navy's F-18 destroyers during a scheduled flight over the Pacific Ocean, Russia's Eastern Military District said on Friday.

"On April 23, two Tu-142 antisubmarine aircraft of the naval aviation of the Pacific Fleet conducted a scheduled 10-hour flight over the waters of the Pacific Ocean ...

At some stretches of the route, the Russian aircraft were escorted by the US Navy's F-18 carrier fighters," the Eastern Military District said in a statement, stressing that the Tu-142 flight was conducted in compliance with the international regulations on airspace use.

The Tu-142s covered around 8,000 kilometers (4,970 miles). Pilots practiced flights over featureless terrains, coordination during piloting in absence of radar control, and flight training in the far sea zone.