Russian Surveillance Aircraft Detected in Alaska Defense Zone: NORAD

U.S. and Canadian fighter jets intercept two Russian long-range bombers off the coast of Alaska on Aug. 8, 2019. (NORAD)

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it detected a Russian surveillance aircraft in the Alaskan air defense identification zone over a two-day period.

“On two separate occasions, over the past two days, the Alaskan NORAD Region detected, tracked and identified Russian surveillance aircraft entering and operating within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone,” the agency said in a statement on Aug. 9. “The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace.”

NORAD is a military command responsible for aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning, focused on protecting the national security of both the United States and Canada.

The Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) is a self-declared zone of airspace stretching for hundreds of miles surrounding the United States’ airspace. NORAD seeks to detect and track foreign military aircraft in these zones.

“NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based radars, airborne radar, and fighter aircraft to track and identify aircraft and inform appropriate actions,” the agency said in its statement on Aug. 9 .

“We remain ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America and Arctic sovereignty.”

While aircraft from any country can legally fly through the airspace, such moves by foreign aircraft could be seen as an act of aggression as it suggests the aircraft could enter sovereign airspace.

This is the first reported case in 2022 of Russian military aircraft entering the Alaskan ADIZ. But sightings of Russian aircraft in the region are not uncommon, taking place a few times each year in recent years.

In 2021, NORAD reported that Russian aircraft entered the Alaskan ADIZ in January, March, and October. In October 2021, the last time NORAD announced Russian presence, five Russian aircraft had entered the Alaskan ADIZ.

The latest flights by Russian aircraft announced by NORAD come amid mounting tension between Moscow and Washington. Since the start of the Russia–Ukraine war in February, the United States has issued multiple sanctions against Russia and Russian officials and entities, while providing billions of dollars in security and other aid for Ukraine.

Russia in July announced it had seized total control of the Luhansk region in Ukraine. Russia is now largely focused on trying to take control of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the other region in Donbas, the industrialized eastern part of Ukraine.