US and Canadian fighter jets intercepted and escorted a Russian formation near the Alaskan coast on Thursday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said.
NORAD identified five Russian aircraft-two Tu-95 bombers, two Su-35 fighter jets, and an A-50 early warning aircraft- flying in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), international airspace that begins when North American sovereign airspace ends.
To meet the challenge, NORAD launched an array of US planes that included F-16s, F-35s, an E-3 early warning aircraft, and KC-135 refueling tankers, which proceeded to spot and escort the Russian planes until they departed the zone.
According to the NORAD press release, the Russian planes never entered the sovereign airspace of either the US or Canada, and these missions are a routine matter and do not pose a direct threat, though they are continuously monitored by North American aerospace defense operations.
The intercept demonstrated continuing awareness and readiness by the North American air defense system, as Russia’s distant air operations often come close to the Alaskan coast.