The North American Aerospace Defense Command said on Tuesday that it had detected and tracked four Russian warplanes flying near Alaska. The military aircraft were operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), an area stretching about 150 miles from the U.S. coast that is monitored to provide additional reaction time in case of hostile actions.
“The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” NORAD said in a statement .
Russia confirmed on Wednesday that two of its Tu-95 bombers flew over waters near Alaska, Reuters reported. The Tu-95s flew for about 9 hours and were escorted by SU-30SM fighter jets, Russia’s defense ministry said.
“The flight was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace,” said Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, according to Reuters.