Russian Military Aircraft Tracked in Alaska Airspace for Third Time in One Week

On September 14, two Russian IL-38 military aircraft were detected and tracked while operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ ), marking the third such incident within a week, according to a North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) report released on September 15.

The Russian planes stayed in international airspace and did not breach US or Canadian airspace, NORAD stated, adding that the flights are "not seen as a threat."

Earlier in the week, on September 11, NORAD reported detecting two Russian military aircraft in the ADIZ. Two days later, on September 13, the agency tracked a pair of Russian Tu-142 military aircraft in the same area.

NORAD defines the ADIZ as a "stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security."

Earlier this summer, on July 25, the US and Canada—both part of NORAD—scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian and Chinese military planes in the ADIZ. US F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, along with Canadian CF-18s, intercepted Russian and Chinese bombers. NORAD also detected and tracked four Russian warplanes in the ADIZ in mid-August.

NORAD notes that such incidents occur "regularly."