Two Russian aircraft circled Guam on Feb. 12

Two Russian Tu-95 bomber aircraft circle Guam on Feb. 12. The aircraft are capable of carrying nuclear cruise missiles.

The two bomber aircraft were followed by two U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter aircraft from Andersen Air Force Base, according to Air Force Capt. Kim Bender, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Air Force in Hawaii. She said the jets “scrambled and responded to the aircraft.”

“The Tu-95s were intercepted and left the area in a northbound direction. No further actions occurred,” she said. Bender said no other details would be released “for operational security reasons.”

According to one military official, the Russian Bear bombers remained in international airspace, the encounter between the U.S. and Russian aircraft “stayed professional” and there was no incident. The official said it’s impossible to determine whether the Russian bombers carried any nuclear weapons.

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