Anchorage: Russian bombers and fighter jets entered the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) off the US state of Alaska, prompting military aircraft to scramble in response, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said on Thursday.
According to Ghana News Agency, two Russian Tu-95 long-range bombers, two Su-35 fighter jets, and an A-50 airborne early warning aircraft were intercepted and escorted by NORAD aircraft until they left the zone. The Russian planes did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace.
NORAD, which is jointly operated by the United States and Canada, reported multiple aircraft were involved in the mission. This included two F-16 and two F-35 fighter jets, four KC-135 refueling tankers, and an E-3 AWACS surveillance aircraft. It was not immediately clear whether all of the planes were from the US military, or whether Canadian aircraft also took part.
The command noted that such incidents involving Russian military aircraft occur regularly and are not viewed as a threat. Military experts suggest such flights are often used to test the air defense readiness of other states.
An air defense identification zone lies beyond a country's sovereign airspace and serves as a buffer area in which aircraft are required to identify themselves and provide their coordinates for security purposes, according to NORAD.