NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) announced on Monday that four Russian aircraft were recently seen flying near Alaska in an air zone.
The aircraft was seen in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on Monday morning. NORAD said in a NORAD release that the Russian aircraft did not enter American airspace.
According to NORAD, the Russian aircraft did cross into American and Canadian airspace but remained in international airspace. The Russian activity is commonplace within the Alaska ADIZ. It is not considered a threat.
The ADIZ is not considered American airspace and therefore does not appear to be provocative. Russian aircraft were seen in the ADIZ several times during September.
On September 16, two Russian IL-38 aircraft were detected in the ADIZ. This was the fourth Russian plane to have been spotted since September 11th, 2024.
On September 11, the U.S. and Canada intercepted Russian military aircraft. On September 13, a pair of TU-142s was detected.
In a NORAD press release released on Monday, the agency stated that “an ADIZ is the area at the end of the sovereign airspace. This is an international stretch of airspace that requires aircraft identification for national security. ”
NORAD noted that it remains “ready to employ several response options in defense of North America,” if needed.
The statement concluded, “NORAD utilizes a multilayered defense system consisting of satellites and airborne and land radars as well as fighter aircraft to track aircraft and inform appropriate actions.”
