US Air Force F-16 fighter jets took off to repel Russian bombers that approached Alaska’s air defense identification zone on Monday.
The planes, which were identified on February 13, did not enter United States or Canadian airspace and did not pose a threat, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a February 14 statement.
According to a NORAD statement, the Russian aircraft, which included Tu-95 BEAR-H and Su-35 fighter jets, remained in international airspace and did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace.
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“The Russian planes remained in international airspace and did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the North American ADIZ occurs regularly and is not considered a threat, nor is the activity considered provocative,” it added.
It added that the Russian flights were in no way connected to the mysterious series of airborne objects that the US military shot down over North America in the past few weeks.
“NORAD anticipated this Russian activity and, as a result of our planning, was prepared to intercept it… Two NORAD F-16 fighters intercepted the Russian aircraft,” it said.
NORAD also sent two F-35A fighters, an E-3 Sentry and two KC-135 Stratotankers to assist.