The USA and Canada have launched fighter jets to intercept two Russian military aircraft that were near Alaska.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that military aircraft from the U.S. and Canada were scrambled to intercept two Russian TU-142 aircraft that had conducted maritime patrols near Alaska. These aircraft were escorted until they exited the air defense identification zone (ADIZ), a buffer zone that is not part of the sovereign airspace of the two countries. NORAD emphasized that the Russian aircraft did not enter the airspace of the U.S. or Canada. The operation involved U.S. F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, KC-135 tanker aircraft, an E-3 AWACS surveillance plane, as well as Canadian CF-18 aircraft.

NORAD also mentioned that such incidents with Russian aircraft are common but do not pose a direct threat, often being used to test air defense systems. A similar incident occurred in February when Russian TU-95 bombers and SU-35 fighter jets were intercepted.