Russian Warplanes Tracked And Intercepted Off Alaskan Coast

According to a report in the Washington Times, jet fighters assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted six Russian military aircraft off the coast of Alaska last week. The joint U.S.-Canadian defenses detected and tracked the Russian aircraft, which were breaching the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

NORAD reported that, while the Russians got close enough to scramble U.S. aircraft in response, they did not penetrate Canadian or U.S. airspace. The Russian military aircraft included Tupolev Tu-95 bombers, Ilyushin IL-78 tankers and Sukhoi Su-35 fighters. NORAD scrambled F-16 and F-22 fighters, KC-135 tankers and E-3 AWACS command and control aircraft to intercept the Russian aircraft.

According to NORAD, “This Russian activity in the North American ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat. NORAD tracks and positively identifies all military aircraft that enter the ADIZ, routinely monitors aircraft movement, and as necessary, escorts them from the ADIZ.”