Russian and Chinese military planes were intercepted while operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone Wednesday by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, according to a NORAD press release.
Canada and the U.S. monitor airspace in the area through NORAD, a bi-national command.
“NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two PRC [People’s Republic of China] H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on July 24, 2024,” it said. “NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the intercept.”
It said the planes remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. Activity from the Russian and PRC planes in the ADIZ is not seen as a threat.
“An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security,” explained the release.
In May, NORAD tracked four Russian aircraft operating in the same space. It said there is regular Russian activity in the area that is not seen as a threat.