Four Russian military aircraft entered international airspace close to Alaska on Tuesday, the U.S. and Canada’s joint command said.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that it detected and tracked the aircraft operating within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
The Russian planes did not enter sovereign U.S. or Canadian territory, and the incident was not perceived as a threat.
The Alaska ADIZ is international airspace, but all aircraft entering it must identify themselves for national security purposes.
Newsweek contacted NORAD for comment on Wednesday.
NORAD stated that it utilizes a multilayered defense system, including satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to detect and monitor activity.
The organization emphasized that it remains prepared to take appropriate action in defense of North America.
Such encounters are not uncommon, and NORAD previously announced that a number of Russian aircraft entered the Alaska ADIZ in September.
Four aircraft were spotted on September 23; two Russian Il-38 patrol aircraft were tracked on September 14 and 15; two Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft were seen on September 13; and two unspecified Russian aircraft were identified on September 11.
A Russian bomber flying in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in September. Four Russian military aircraft entered the Alaska ADIZ on Tuesday.
Department of Defense/AP
Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, told Newsweek: “Continued Russian approaches toward U.S. airspace are a reminder that while the bulk of Russia’s land forces are tied down in Ukraine, its air and naval forces continue to pose a global threat to its adversaries including the United States.
“It’s another indicator that Russia is readying itself for confrontation with the West beyond Ukraine, and any break in the fighting there – for instance through a ceasefire – will allow Russia to reconstitute its forces even faster without Ukraine destroying them almost as fast as they are rebuilt.”
Separately, the U.S. Department of Defense released a video in October showing a Russian fighter jet conducting a dangerous maneuver directed at an American aircraft off Alaska.
The dramatic footage, which was taken from the cockpit of a U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet, showed a Russian Su-35 execute what NORAD called an unsafe maneuver when the American warplane was intercepting a Russian Tu-95 bomber.
Based on the video, the Su-35, which was flying into a small gap between the F-16 and the Tu-95, appeared on the left side of the American jet and sped away, forcing the U.S. pilot to turn the aircraft to the right.
“The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all—not what you’d see in a professional air force,” said General Gregory Guillot, the commander of NORAD.
The aerial encounter occurred in the Alaska ADIZ on September 23.
