The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said it detected Russian military aircraft off the coast of Alaska on Sunday, marking the fourth time since Sept. 11 amid rising tensions between the United States and Russia.
Two Russian IL-38 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ, were detected and tracked on Sunday, NORAD said in a news release.
The aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD said, adding that such Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not believed to be a threat.
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Two Russian military aircraft operating in Alaska's Air Defense Identification Zone were detected and tracked on Sunday, the fourth time in the past week. (Getty Images)
The aircraft involved in the three other incidents last week — on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday — also remained in international airspace in the Alaska ADIZ and were not considered a threat, according to NORAD.
The United States and Canada, which together make up NORAD, intercepted a pair of Russian military aircraft for the first time on Wednesday.
On Friday, NORAD detected a pair of TU-142 aircraft and on Saturday it intercepted two Russian IL-38 aircraft, the same type of aircraft intercepted in Sunday's incident.
In all four incidents, the aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter the sovereign airspace of the United States or Canada. (Getty Images)
An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires rapid identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security, NORAD said.
NORAD said it employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground- and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and report appropriate actions. The company said it is prepared to employ a range of response options to defend North America.
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In all four incidents, the planes were not considered a threat, NORAD said. (Getty Images)
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Earlier this summer, NORAD intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska, marking the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together, U.S. officials said at the time.
