Canada deploys fighters to counter Russian flights

OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- Canada said on Friday it had deployed three fighter jets to one of its Arctic air bases to counter possible probing flights by Russian bombers into North American airspace.

Foreign ministry spokesman Carl Schwenger said the three CF-18 jets had flown to Inuvik in the far north-west of Canada on Wednesday after Russia deployed five nuclear-capable "Bear" bombers to bases opposite Alaska.

Canada and the United States are both members of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), set up after World War Two to protect the continent's air space.

"Both Russia and NORAD exercise their capability to operate in the North from time to time. When one country undertakes such exercises it's not uncommon for the other to deploy to a forward operating location," said Schwenger.

"Whether or not there is an incursion into our airspace is irrelevant. NORAD's mandate is to undertake this kind of deployment at regular intervals," he added.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Friday it had deployed five nuclear-capable "Bear" bombers to bases opposite Alaska for training that might include probing flights toward U.S. territory now that fuel was available.

The Tu-95 bombers regularly flew toward Alaska -- and Britain -- during the Cold War to see how quickly the West could deploy fighters to respond.

"NORAD is very much like a fire brigade -- it must be prepared to fight fires at any time. Its job is to protect air sovereignty over North America," said Schwenger.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

See related sites about Americas

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.