On Wednesday, the U.S. Air Force intercepted two Russian Navy Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft flying 50 miles off the Alaskan coast. But don’t be alarmed — this is standard fare Russian chicanery.
First off, the aircraft in question weren’t a threat to Alaska. Il-38s are maritime patrol aircraft responsible for identifying ships and submarines, not striking mainland targets. And while these Il-38s were almost certainly the more advanced Il-38N variants of the airframe, they do not pose a significant threat to American security. They don’t even have air-to-air capabilities. The Il-38s speed performance and radar signatures also significantly undermine their surprise and strike capabilities. And considering that USAF 3rd Wing F-22s were deployed to intercept the Il-38s, the question of relative threat is not debatable here. The equation is unbalanced heavily in America’s favor, as it is even with Russian air superiority fighters.
