Russian Military Aircraft Tracked Operating Near Alaskan Airspace

NORAD said the February 18 incident—the second in the region in less than a month—occurred in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which begins where sovereign airspace ends and is monitored by both the U.S. and Canada. NORAD officials did not identify the aircraft.

"The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace," NORAD said. "This Russian activity in Alaskan ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat."

Late last month, NORAD scrambled air patrols off the coast of the Alaska/Yukon border and two F-16s toward Greenland to "forward posture NORAD presence in the Arctic" after multiple Russian military aircraft were detected operating in the Arctic.

"NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and inform appropriate actions,” the command said. “NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America."