The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, reported detecting Russian military aircraft off the coast of Alaska on Sunday, marking the fourth time since 9/11 amidst heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia.
Two Russian IL-38 military planes operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ, were identified and tracked on Sunday, according to NORAD’s news release.
The aircraft remained in international airspace and did not breach U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD confirmed, stating that such Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ is routine and not considered a threat.
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The aircraft in the previous three incidents during the week – on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday – also maintained their presence in international airspace within Alaska’s ADIZ and were not considered threatening by NORAD.
The U.S. and Canada, forming NORAD, initially intercepted a pair of Russian military aircraft on Wednesday.
A couple of TU-142s were identified by NORAD on Friday. Additionally, on Saturday, two Russian IL-38 planes were intercepted, matching the aircraft type in Sunday’s occurrence.
An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace requiring the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security, as stated by NORAD.
NORAD emphasized its use of a layered defense network consisting of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and take appropriate actions. NORAD also affirmed its readiness to utilize various response options to protect North America.
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Previously during the summer, NORAD intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska, marking the first time these two countries were intercepted together while operating, according to U.S. officials.