NORAD: Russian military aircraft in Arctic not seen as a threat [Video]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Multiple Russian military aircraft were monitored in the Arctic this week by The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Thursday, NORAD stated that the Russian aircraft were in international airspace and never entered Alaskan or Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones or sovereign airspace. The agency did not say how many Russian planes were tracked.

The Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) and Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR) launched air patrols to track the activity of the aircraft and determined it was not a threat.

Two F-35 fighter jets were scrambled by ANR, as well as a Boeing E-3 Sentry and two KC-135 refueling tankers.

NORAD says they also sent two F-16s from Alaska to Greenland to exercise its agreement with Greenland to show NORAD’s presence in the Arctic, but not as a response to any threat.

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