Russian military planes detected near Alaska not a threat

The planes never entered North American airspace
NORAD uses radar and satellites to track activity
The agency uses response teams for national security

Updated: May 3, 2024 / 04:06 PM CDT

In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, two Russian military planes prepare to takeoff from an airfield outside Moscow, in Russia to fly to Kazakhstan, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. A Russia-led military alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, said early Thursday that it would send peacekeeper troops to Kazakhstan at the request of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

(NewsNation) — Four Russian military aircraft were spotted near Alaskan airspace Thursday, but the presence of the planes is not being perceived as a threat, officials with the North American Aerospace Defense Command said.

NORAD detected and tracked the four Russian aircraft which were operating near the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. However, the military planes remained in international airspace and at no point entered American or Canadian sovereign airspace, the agency reported.

An 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 on Thursday.

NORAD said that it employs a layered defense network of satellites as well as ground-based and airborne radars along with fighter aircraft to detect and track all aircraft and inform appropriate actions.

The agency remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North American airspace, if necessary, the agency said.

The Russian military activity in the airspace near Alaska occurs regularly, NORAD said, which eliminated the possibility of a threat, NORAD said in the news release.

In February, Russia’s defense ministry confirmed two Russian strategic bombers flew over the Bering and Chukchi seas for about nine hours while escorted by fighter jets. As was the case on Thursday, the planes remained in international airspace for the entire time.