Washington, Muharram 16, 1437, Oct 29, 2015, SPA -- The United States Navy earlier this week scrambled jets to intercept Russian military jets that came within a nautical mile of a US aircraft carrier operating in the Sea of Japan, the Pentagon confirmed Thursday. Two Russian TU-142 Bear aircraft approached the USS Ronald Reagan on Tuesday at an altitude of 500 feet (152 metres), US Department of Defence spokesman Commander Bill Urban told dpa. The carrier, which was sailing in international waters, launched four F/A-18 Super Hornet jets to meet the Russian planes and escort them away from the vicinity of the carrier, Urban said. He said the action was "standard operating procedure." -- SPA 21:56 LOCAL TIME 18:56 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w