The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said on Monday that four Russian aircraft had been spotted flying in airspace near Alaska recently.
The Russian plane was spotted flying within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) early Monday morning. In a press release obtained by Fox News, NORAD said the Russian aircraft did not violate U.S. airspace.
“The Russian aircraft remained within international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian airspace,” NORAD explained. “Russian activity in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone is routine and is not considered a threat.”
The ADIZ is not considered U.S. airspace and is therefore not seen as provocative, but Russian aircraft were spotted there several times in September.
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Dawn at the North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD) Point Barrow Long-Range Radar Facility, located north of the northernmost U.S. town of Uchigiagvik, Alaska, on February 4, 2023. (U.S. Air Force/Technical Sgt. Kurt Beach/Distributed via Reuters)
On September 16, two Russian IL-38 military aircraft were spotted within the ADIZ, marking the fourth time Russian aircraft have been sighted in the zone since September 11, 2024.
On September 11, the United States and Canada intercepted a Russian aircraft, and later spotted two TU-142s on September 13.
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The North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD) Fort Yukon Long-Range Radar Facility is located in rural Alaska, outside Fort Yukon, Alaska, USA, March 1, 2023. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Patrick Sullivan/Distributed via Reuters)
“The ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a limited area of international airspace where national security interests require immediate identification of all aircraft,” NORAD added in a press release on Monday.
NORAD noted that it “stands ready to take a range of measures to defend North America” if necessary.
The radar dome of the North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD) Point Barrow Long-Range Radar Facility is illuminated, located north of the northernmost U.S. town of Uchigiagvik, Alaska, on February 3, 2023. (U.S. Air Force/Technical Sgt. Kurt Beach/Distributed via Reuters)
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“NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to track aircraft and signal appropriate action,” the statement concluded.
Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this report.
