From https://news.usni.org
“WEST: NORAD Head Says Russia Increasing Arctic Long Range Air Patrols By: Sam LaGrone February 10, 2015 7:13 PM

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – While Russian military aircraft have stepped up their activity everywhere from the North Sea to the Baltic to the Black Sea in the last year they have also been spotted more frequently closer to the U.S. territory in the Arctic, the head of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told USNI News on Tuesday.

In particular – flights of Tupolev Tu-95 Bear ‘H’ Bombers have increased recently NORTHCOM’s Adm. Bill Gortney said.

“They’ve been very aggressive – under my NORAD hat – for us in the Arctic,” he said to USNI News following a keynote address at the WEST 2015 conference.


“Aggressive in the amount of flights, not aggressive in how they fly.”

Since the March seizure of the Ukrainian…