A NORAD F-22 Raptor intercepts at Russian Tu-95 bomber in the Alaskan Area Defense Identification Zone on June 16, 2020. NORAD employs a layered defense network of radars, satellites and fighter aircraft to identify aircraft and determine the appropriate response. NORAD
THE WATCH STAFF
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in recent months has continued to closely monitor Russian military aircraft activity near Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). On both April 5 and May 2, 2024, NORAD detected and tracked Russian aircraft operating within this zone.
A NORAD news release about the latest incident stated that “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.” An ADIZ is defined airspace within which the ready identification, location, and control of aircraft is required in the interest of national security.
To monitor the potential aerospace threats, NORAD – the binational Canadian-U.S. command – utilizes a sophisticated defense network comprising satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft. This network enables NORAD to detect and track incoming aircraft, informing joint military responses. NORAD emphasizes its readiness to employ various response options in defense of North America, highlighting its commitment to safeguarding airspace integrity and national security.
NORAD also detected multiple Russian aircraft within the ADIZ in May and August 2023, prompting a U.S. response. Additionally, in February and May 2023, six Russian aircraft, including SU-35 fighter jets, IL-78 tankers, and TU-95 bombers, were intercepted in the same ADIZ during Alaska’s largest military drill of the year, Exercise Northern Edge 23.
In March 2024 testimony to the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Gen. Gregory T. Guillot, commander of NORAD and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), said Russia has clearly signaled its plans in the event of a conflict “below the nuclear threshold” to use a wide range of weapons including armed warplanes to attack the U.S. homeland. “Despite the heavy commitment of its aviation forces in Ukraine, Russia has continued to fly regular out-of-area patrols with its heavy bombers and other military aircraft in multiple areas around the globe – including numerous flights into the North American air defense identification zone since February 2022,” Guillot said.
NORAD’s headquarters for the Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR) “provides an ongoing capability to detect, validate, and warn of any aircraft and/or cruise missile threat in its area of operations that could threaten North American security. By maintaining surveillance of Canadian and U.S. airspace, ANR is able to determine what goes on in and near North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Aerospace control requires capabilities to intercept, shadow, escort, divert, direct landings, and if necessary, use force up to and including the destruction of airborne objects,” the command’s website states. These detections and interceptions of Russian military aircraft demonstrate U.S. and Canadian capabilities and underscore the vigilance and commitment of NORAD and USNORTHCOM to safeguarding North American airspace and security.