Russian planes entered Alaska's defense zone this week, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Russian surveillance aircraft were spotted entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on two separate occasions over a two-day period this week, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said on Tuesday.
NORAD Identified Two Russian Planes
NORAD this week detected, tracked and identified two Russian planes in the air defense zone. The planes remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace, according to NORAD.
"On two separate occasions, over the past 2 days, the Alaskan NORAD Region detected, tracked and identified Russian surveillance aircraft entering and operating within the Alaskan ADIZ, said NORAD in a tweet.
NORAD Employs A "Layered Defense Network To Keep Tabs on Aircraft
The agency stated that it employs a "layered defense network" comprised of satellites, radars — both ground and airborne — and fighter jets to keep tabs on aircraft.
"We remain ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North American and Arctic Sovereignty," said NORAD, according to New York Post.
The air defense zone of Alaska is near hundreds of miles around the shore and for the sake of national security, it's under surveillance always.
An air defense identification zone is a self-declared buffer zone of airspace surrounding a country or territory. Aircraft from other countries are legally allowed to fly within one but doing so is considered aggression, as once there, planes could quickly cross into sovereign airspace, according to The Hill.
Russian planes previously breached the air defense zone of Alaska in 2021. At least five Russian planes had entered the air defense zone in October last year.
The breach came at a time when Russia is fighting the war in Ukraine. Any escalation or breach of air space could lead to America's direct involvement in a fresh conflict with Russia, according to experts.
