Russian planes near Alaska trigger NORAD response from US and Canada

Russian planes were spotted near Alaska on Wednesday by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, (NORAD) prompting a response from United States and Canadian forces.

According to reports, NORAD said two Russian TU-142 military aircraft were identified operating near Alaska. The long range aircraft are commonly used for maritime patrol missions.

In response, NORAD launched 12 aircraft including F-35 and F-22 fighter jets to track the planes.

Officials said the jets were deployed to “identify, monitor, and intercept” the Russian aircraft as they moved through the region, CTV reported.

“The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,” NORAD said in a statement.

The agency added that the activity was not considered a direct threat: “This Russian activity in the Alaskan and Canadian ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.”

The Alaskan and Canadian Air Defence Identification Zones, known as ADIZ cover a large area of international airspace surrounding North America.

Aircraft entering the zone must identify themselves to authorities so they can be monitored.

NORAD said it continues to track military activity near the region as part of its ongoing mission to defend North American airspace.