The USAF announced in late November that its F-22A Raptor fighters, following in the footsteps of the equally controversial Typhoon, had intercepted a Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber near the Aleutian Islands. But no pictures were released. However, they have turned up on websites such as Air Show Buzz, with no indication as to how they got there.

It's hard to see what is quite so secret about the F-22 in the photo, since even the serial number is unreadable. Maybe the USAF is being sensitive about exposing Russia's latest technology, although it looks like a standard-issue Tu-95 from here. But if nothing else, it's a photo of two of the world's more insanely cool aircraft. Not to mention two extremes in terms of radar cross-section (RCS), since the Bear's 32 whirling steel propeller blades endow it with an RCS of a magnitude usually associated with battleships.

As an aside, it was confirmed during 2007 that the F-22A can indeed drop its external tanks and leave itself stealthy. As can be seen from this photo...

... the pylons separate with the tanks, and the attach points are presumably designed so that they assume a low-RCS shape after release.

Photos: via Air Show Buzz, USAF