North American Aerospace Defense Command

A sonic boom that echoed over Washington Sunday was caused by two fighter jets scrambling to intercept an unresponsive aircraft that later crashed in rural Virginia, officials told AFP.

Residents of the city and its suburbs reported hearing the thundering noise, which rattled windows and shook walls for miles and caused social media to light up with people asking what had happened.

This was announced by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
"Two US Air Force F-16 planes escorted Russian planes that were flying in international airspace and did not enter US or Canadian airspace," the statement said.

SputnikNews - Regular air patrols by Russian planes over neutral waters in seas and oceans around the world are carried out in strict accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that US F-22 fighter jets had been escorting Russian long-range aircraft for 40 minutes without approaching them closer than 100 meters.

North Korea on Saturday morning fired what are believed to be three short-range ballistic missiles, one of which exploded shortly after launch, the U.S. Pacific Command said.

The missiles were launched near Kittaeryong between 6:49 a.m. Seoul time (5:49 pm. Friday ET) and 12:19 p.m. The second missile “appears to have blown up almost immediately,” Pacific Command said.