NORAD: Alaskan Defense Zone Breached By Russian Surveillance Aircraft

ALASKA - From the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), For the last two days, there have been two known incursions into the Alaskan Air Defense Zone, a buffer zone that sits between the airspace of Alaska and international air space, by Russian surveillance aircraft, which were detected, identified, and tracked off the coast.

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NORAD utilizes a vast network of monitoring technology to create a web of eyes in the air, to keep track of such incursions with items such as satellites, airborne radar on various types of planes, and ground-based radar sites; All enforced by intercept aircraft.

The last known incursion was recorded almost one year ago in October 2021, when five Russian planes intentionally entered the zone, flying in formation together.

The incursion comes as Russia is locked in its special military operation in Ukraine and sees the United States as the main instigator in troubles there. Also, China, which is an ally of Russia and sees the United States as an instigator inflaming tensions, surrounding Taiwan.

Since the visit of House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, China has maintained live-fire exercises around Taiwan, leading to fears of an invasion there. China sees the visit by a major U.S. political voice as a violation of its One-China Policy.


"On two separate occasions, over the past two days, the Alaskan NORAD Region detected, tracked, and identified Russian surveillance aircraft entering and operating within the Alaskan ADIZ. The Russian aircraft did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,... We remain ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America and Arctic sovereignty" - NORAD

It is legal for foreign aircraft to fly through the ADIZ, though on a wrong day with the wrong situation and posture, it could be seen as an act of aggression due to the possibility of the aircraft crossing into sovereign airspace.

 

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