Russian military aircraft in Alaska zone likely poses no threat, NORAD says

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said on Wednesday that it detected Russian aircraft operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). 

NORAD identified the aircraft as two Tu-95s, which are long-range strategic bombers, and two Su-35s, which are advanced fighter jets.

“The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaskan ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” NORAD said in a statement.

NORAD said it responded with an E-3, four F-16s and four KC-135 tankers “to positively identify and intercept in the Alaskan ADIZ.”

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NORAD noted that the Alaskan ADIZ begins where the U.S. and Canada’s sovereign airspace ends.

Last month, NORAD detected one IL-20 COOT operating in the Alaskan ADIZ. It responded with an E-3, two F-16s and two KC-135s to intercept and visually identify the Russian aircraft in the Alaskan ADIZ. NORAD also noted after that incident that Russian activity regularly occurs in the Alaskan ADIZ and is not necessarily a threat.

NORAD’s announcement Thursday comes as Russia is blamed for incursions into the airspaces of Estonia and Poland, both NATO countries.

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Three Russian MiG-31 jets flew together over Estonia on Sept. 19, two NATO sources independently told Fox News Digital. The jets flew back and forth for over 12 minutes before Italian F-35s “pushed them out,” according to the sources. 

“Russia has already violated Estonia’s airspace four times this year, which in itself is unacceptable. But today’s incursion, involving three fighter aircraft entering our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen,” said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. “Russia’s increasingly extensive testing of boundaries and growing aggressiveness must be met with a swift increase in political and economic pressure.” 

NATO allies met on Tuesday following the incursion at the request of Estonia, which triggered Article 4. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on behalf of member states that Russia’s actions were “escalatory.” 

“We do not want to see a continuation of this dangerous pattern by Russia, intentional or not,” Rutte said. “But we stand ready and willing to continue to defend every inch of ally territory.” 

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.