The US intercepted four Russian aircraft entering its air defense identification zone.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced on February 14 that it had intercepted four Russian aircraft entering and operating within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone.
The Russian aircraft included Tu-95 BEAR-H bombers and Su-35 fighter jets. According to NORAD, the force anticipated the Russian aircraft's activity and quickly deployed two F-16 fighter jets to intercept them in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone.
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| A Russian Tu-95 aircraft. Photo: RAF |
NORAD also stated that this incident was unrelated to the objects shot down in Canada and the United States recently, and that the Russian aircraft did not enter the airspace under the sovereignty of the United States and Canada.
NORAD regularly monitors foreign aircraft within the air defense identification zone and escorts them out if necessary. The most recent similar incident occurred in October 2022 when two Russian bombers flew into the area.
