An F-22 Raptor assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, intercepts a Russian Tu-95 Bear on June 9, 2020. (NORAD)
WASHINGTON — A Russian military aircraft was spotted flying near Alaska on Monday as U.S. forces conduct training in the area, U.S. military officials said.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said Wednesday that it detected and tracked one Russian military aircraft near Alaska.
The Russian aircraft remained in international space and did not enter U.S. or Canadian territory. The aircraft did enter the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, a stretch of mostly international airspace some 200 nautical miles off the Alaskan coast.
The flight occurred as several large-scale military training exercises are taking place in and around Alaska, NORAD said in a statement.
Activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not viewed as a threat.
“NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America,” the agency said in a statement.
This is the second time in the last several days that NORAD has responded to Russian aircraft in the area. On May 11, U.S. fighter jets intercepted several Russian aircraft that included TU-95 bombers, IL-78 tankers and SU-35 fighter jets flying near Alaska.
Monday’s detection was at least the fourth one in 2023. The previous incidents happened on consecutive days in February. Military officials at the time said the Russian planes were in no way related to incidents in which U.S. fighter jets shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon or multiple unidentified objects over U.S. and Canadian airspace.
