Russian military aircraft detected off Alaskan coast for fourth time in past week, NORAD says

(CNN) — The North American Aerospace Defense command intercepted Russian military aircraft flying near Alaska four times over the last week in what appears to be an uptick in activity amid tensions between the US and Russia.

On all four occasions the aircraft remained in international airspace in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ, and were “not seen as a threat,” according to NORAD.

ADIZ “begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security,” NORAD said.

The US and Canada, which make up NORAD, first intercepted a pair of Russian military aircraft on Wednesday. On Friday, a pair of TU-142s, Russian reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft, were detected by NORAD. One day later, the US and Canada intercepted two Russian IL-38 planes, another type of reconnaissance and anti-submarine military aircraft. NORAD announced Sunday that it had intercepted two additional Russian IL-38 military planes flying near Alaska.

The aircraft this past week did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD said. Russian flights into the ADIZ occur “regularly,” with recent interceptions happening in July and May.

Earlier this summer, NORAD intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska in what officials said was the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.

Asked at the time whether that intercept was an example of Russia and China “testing” the US after President Joe Biden decided to pull out of the 2024 presidential race, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Russia and China are “always testing us.”

This story and headline have been updated with additional information.

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