U.S. Jets Drive Soviets Away From Bering Sea Exercises

Soviet planes trying to see the largest Navy exercise in the Bering Sea since World War II were chased away by fighters from an aircraft carrier three times this week, a military spokesman said Friday.

“Yes, there was a Soviet attempt to have reconnaissance against the battle group, and, yes, U.S. Navy fighter planes from the aircraft carrier intercepted the aircraft,” Lt. Cmdr. Charles Connor said.

Connor said F-14 Tomcat fighter jets intercepted the Soviet planes near where the Navy was conducting an exercise north of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain. The Soviet planes did not fly over the 1,092-foot nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, which led the battle group, he said.

A dozen Navy ships spent two days in the Bering Sea west of Alaska, where Soviet ships have made their presence felt recently, Connor said by telephone from the Navy’s 3rd Fleet headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Powerful Battle Group

“We are fairly confident that this is the most powerful battle group there since World War II,” Connor said of the exercise that, in addition to the Carl Vinson, included four frigates, three guided-missile cruisers, two destroyers and two replenishment ships.

During the Navy exercise, Connor said, the Soviets made three reconnaissance attempts, using two TU-95 Bear aircraft each time. F-14 fighters from the aircraft carrier intercepted the Soviets and escorted them away all three times, Connor said.

All the intercept missions were conducted by Navy planes from the 95,000-ton Carl Vinson, which carried 80 tactical aircraft, Connor said. All Navy flights during the two-day operation were tracked by the Air Force as part of a coordinated exercise, he said.