American and Canadian warplanes intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers in international airspace near Alaska on Wednesday, according to the joint U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
“NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two PRC H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ),” it said.
An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.
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“Fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the intercept,” NORAD said, adding that the bombers “remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,” and that their activity “is not seen as a threat.”
NORAD fighter jets from both countries were scrambled to conduct the intercept.
NORAD, a bi-national command between the U.S. and Canada, utilizes a layered defense network of satellites, radars, and fighter jets to detect and track aircraft, ensuring the defense of North America.
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