The bombers were not seen as a threat according to the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command.
U.S. Air Force fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers that entered international airspace near Alaska.
On Oct. 17, the two Russian bombers were detected by the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), said NORAD in a press release.
The ADIZ is outside the border of national airspace that is routinely monitored by defense officials to ensure safety and provide an adequate reaction time if there are hostile actions, according to CBS News.
According to NORAD the two Russian Tu-95 Bear-H bombers remained in international airspace and were intercepted by the U.S fighter aircraft. The bombers were not seen as a threat by NORAD, who routinely escorts foreign aircraft out of the zone, according to officials.
In order to monitor this space, NORAD utilizes layers of defense satellites and other defense equipment to track and identify possible hostile aircraft and inform appropriate responses, according to the NORAD statement.
NORAD wrote that this interception, while the bomber was not a threat, shows that they remain “ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America and Arctic sovereignty.”
