Canada and the United States detected two Russian military aircraft near the U.S. state of Alaska on Wednesday, the joint U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) said.
The organization said it launched 12 aircraft, including F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, to “identify, monitor and intercept” the two detected Russian TU-142 military aircraft, which are used for maritime patrols.
“The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,” NORAD said in a statement.
“This Russian activity in the Alaskan and Canadian ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.”
ADIZ refers to the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defence Identification Zones, which is a stretch of international airspace that requires the identification of all aircraft.
