NORAD spotted two Russian patrol aircraft in the Alaska area

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it had spotted and tracked two Russian Tu-142 naval patrol aircraft entering the Alaska air defense identification zone.

The identification took place on Monday afternoon local time, the command said in a statement.

“The aircraft operated in international airspace and did not enter the sovereign airspace of the United States or Canada,” the statement said.

“Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, NORAD is taking targeted measures and remains fully capable of carrying out aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning missions,” the statement said.