Military officials overseeing U.S. and Canadian airspace detected and tracked two Russian military planes operating near Alaska this week, according to a statement.
NORAD noted it was the second time in a week that Russian aircraft have been tracked in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), adding that such incidents occur on a regular basis and are not “seen as a threat.” On Tuesday, four Russian planes entered the ADIZ, triggering a similar statement from NORAD.
Other details about the encounters, including what type of planes were being used, were provided by NORAD. It’s also unclear why the Russian military aircraft may have entered the airspace.
“An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security,” NORAD’s statement continued.
It then emphasized that it uses a “layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and inform appropriate actions” and “remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America.”
Of the first incident on Tuesday, a Russian official told Reuters that two nuclear-capable Tu-95MC strategic bombers flew over the ADIZ waters but stayed in international airspace.
The Tu-95s, known as Bears by NATO, flew for about 9 hours, escorted by SU-30SM fighter jets. They flew over the Bering and Chukchi Seas, Russia’s defense ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007 revived the Soviet-era practice of sending strategic bombers on regular patrols beyond Russia’s borders. Over the past decade or so, NORAD has reported numerous instances of Russian planes entering the ADIZ.
