ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Military jets were launched by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to intercept five Russian aircraft that were operating in international airspace off the western coast of Alaska. This action took place on Thursday but was characterized by military officials as not being provocative.
NORAD reported that it had detected and tracked two Russian Tu-95 bombers, two Su-35 fighters, and one A-50 surveillance aircraft near the Bering Strait. In response to this situation, NORAD dispatched a formation of two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and four KC-135 refueling tankers to intercept, identify, and escort the Russian aircraft until they moved out of the operational area.
The NORAD statement emphasized that the Russian military aircraft remained within international airspace and did not breach American or Canadian sovereign airspace. NORAD noted that this kind of military activity occurs regularly and is not perceived as a threat to national security. The intercepted Russian aircraft were operating near the Bering Strait, a body of water approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide that serves as a boundary between the Pacific and Arctic oceans. This region is designated as the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
The Air Defense Identification Zone is an area that extends beyond a nation’s sovereign airspace, where all aircraft are mandated to identify themselves for national security considerations. NORAD uses a range of detection technologies including satellites, ground and airborne radars, and other military aircraft to monitor air traffic within this zone.
NORAD is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, while its Alaskan operations are based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. The command is tasked with the aerial defense of North America and regularly conducts operations to intercept and identify foreign military aircraft approaching its airspace.
Recent military activities in the region, especially involving Russian aircraft, have drawn attention, reflecting ongoing geopolitical tensions. While such interceptions are a standard protocol for national defense, they underscore the continuous nature of airspace monitoring in the Arctic region amidst shifting global security dynamics.
