The United States military scrambled fighter jets this week to intercept Russian aircraft near Alaska, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
"NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Sept. 11, 2024. NORAD fighter jets from the United States conducted the intercept," the organization posted on Wednesday.
"The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ is not seen as a threat, and NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence," the post continued.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, Russian jets near Alaska have not only increased in frequency but have joined with another U.S. adversary. In July, two Chinese strategic bombers and two Russian long-range bombers were spotted flying over international waters near Alaska. The aircraft were tracked by U.S. and Canadian jets but were not viewed as a threat yet illustrated a growing interest in the Arctic for the two nations.
"As to whether or not our adversaries are testing us at this particular time – they’re always testing us," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "and that’s no surprise to any of us."
In March, Alaska fishermen recovered and delivered to the FBI remains of what was suspected to be another Chinese surveillance balloon similar to the one that traversed the entire continental U.S. in February of 2023 before being shot down over the coast of South Carolina.
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