2 Russian Aircraft Enter North American Air Defense Zone Day Before NORAD Drills

A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 168th Air Refueling Wing refuels F-22 Raptors from the 3rd Wing over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex flying along side with an F-15 Eagles from the 144th Fighter Wing, on April 18, 2022. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Charles Vaughn

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected two Russian maritime patrol aircraft flying within the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ) on Sunday, the day before a three-day military drill operation.

The two Russian aircraft stayed in international airspace and didn’t enter American nor Canadian sovereign airspace, according to officials.