The US Air Force intercepted two Russian Tu-95 bombers off the coast of Alaska on Monday, the US and Canadian Air Security Command (NORAD) said Tuesday.
Two fighter jets “intercepted two Russian Tu-95 Bear-H bombers entering the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone,” Norad said in a statement.
Russian planes “remained in international airspace and did not enter US or Canadian airspace”the US command said.
The Air Defense Identification Zone (Adiz) forms a perimeter in which air traffic is controlled by the armies of one or more countries outside their national airspace, with the aim of guaranteeing extra reaction time in the event of a hostile manoeuvre.
Despite the period of tension between the United States and Russia, the US military command had to… Russian activity in its identification zone “cannot be considered a threat or a provocation”.
“Norad uses multiple defenses of satellites, ground radars, ship radars and fighter aircraft to identify every aircraft and spot any inappropriate action,” the US military said. “We are ready to use a number of options to defend the sovereignty of North America and the Arctic,” he added.
Russia usually promotes the “Grom” exercise at this time of year, major military maneuvers that notably include ballistic missiles.
Source: DN
