NORAD tracks Russian aircraft flying near Alaska

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) earlier this week detected a Russian aircraft flying near Alaskan airspace as the U.S. military trained in the state.  

NORAD “detected and tracked a Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)” Monday, the command said in a statement released Wednesday.  

The Russian warplane — which stayed in international airspace and did not enter Alaskan or Canadian airspace — occurred as several planned large-scale military training exercises are ongoing in and around Alaska, NORAD noted.  

NORAD did not say which military drills were taking place. 

Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ is not usually seen as a threat and occurs fairly regularly. The U.S. intercepts Russian military aircraft in the zone six to seven times annually, according to the Pentagon.

But what’s of note is U.S. fighter jets last week intercepted six Russian aircraft in the state’s ADIZ amid the ongoing American military drills. 

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder brushed aside any speculation as to the significance of the timing. 

“Russian military aircraft have flown in our ADIZ during large-scale U.S. exercises on occasion, so the timing of this most recent activity is not something considered particularly out of the ordinary,” he said in a statement Monday. 

In addition, President Biden was on his way to Alaska Wednesday as a refueling stop on the way to Japan. 

“NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America,” the command said.