The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has scrambled fighter jets in response to Russian military aircraft that were detected near Alaska.

Two Russian Tupolev TU-142 military aircraft were spotted in international airspace in the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ), NORAD said in a statement. The Tupolev Tu-142 is a Soviet-Russian maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

In response, NORAD launched two U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter aircraft, two F-22 fighter aircraft, four KC-135 tankers, one E-3 AWACS (airborne early warning and control), two Canadian CF-18 fighter aircraft, and one CC-150 tanker.

NORAD said the Russian aircraft did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace, and that "this Russian activity in the Alaskan and Canadian ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat." No exact location for the incident was given.

An ADIZ refers to international airspace between the end of sovereign airspaces—which, according to NORAD, "requires the ready identification off all aircraft in the interest of national security."

There have been a number of incidents in which Russian aircraft have buzzed the airspace near NATO countries, raising tensions between Moscow and the alliance.

On February 19, NORAD deployed a similar contingent of aircraft to intercept Russian warplanes, comprising of Tu-95s, Sukhoi Su-35s and an Antonov A-50 operating after they were detected near Alaska.

NORAD launched two F-16s, two F-35s and four KC-135s to complete the mission.

In September, the U.S. also scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian Tu-95s and Su-35s in the Alaskan ADIZ, while during the previous month NORAD intercepted a Russian Ilyushin IL-20 COO reconnaissance aircraft four times in one week.

In September 2024, NORAD posted a video that showed a Russian fighter jet flying just feet away from a NORAD aircraft in the Alaskan ADIZ.

Meanwhile, in July 2024, both Russian and Chinese bombers were intercepted by the U.S. after entering the Alaskan ADIZ in what was reported as the first time Russian and Chinese aircraft had ever jointly entered the airspace.

NORAD was founded in 1957 as a shared operational command organization between Canada and the U.S. to protect each country's airspace. The agency's commander is U.S. Air Force General Gregory M. Guillot, who was jointly appointed by the U.S. president and the Canadian prime minister.

NORAD uses a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft. In its statement, the agency said it remained "ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America." (News Week)

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