Washington, Feb 20, (dpa/GNA) – 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.
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 command said. The Russian planes did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace.
NORAD, which is jointly operated by the United States and Canada, said multiple aircraft were involved in the mission, including two F-16 and two F-35 fighter jets, four KC-135 refuelling 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 said such incidents involving Russian military aircraft occur regularly, and are not viewed as a threat. Military experts say such flights are often used to test the air defence readiness of other states.
An air defence 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.
GNA