Two pairs of Russian military reconnaissance aircraft have been intercepted near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.

The Russian aircraft entered and remained in the air defense identification zone, a security perimeter in international airspace, for about four hours, the joint US-Canadian command said.

NORAD's "F-22s, supported by KC-135 Stratotankers and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, intercepted two pairs of Russian Tu-142s entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on Saturday, March 14th," the command reported.

The Russian aircraft never entered sovereign US or Canadian airspace, the command said.

But they "loitered in the vicinity of the US Navy's ICEX where they are conducting submarine exercises," NORAD said.

ICEX is a naval exercise in the Arctic Ocean.

It was the second time in as many weeks that Russian jets acted similarly.

NORAD is a joint US-Canadian command focused on the defense of the North American airspace.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China, US spar over origin of coronavirus
Beijing (AFP) March 13, 2020
A Chinese government campaign to cast doubt on the origin of the coronavirus pandemic is fuelling a row with the United States, with a Beijing official promoting conspiracy theories and Washington calling it the "Wuhan virus". The spat comes as China tries to deflect blame for the contagion and reframe itself as a country that took decisive steps to buy the world time by placing huge swathes of its population under quarantine. With cases falling in China and soaring abroad, Beijing is now reject ... read more