This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
On June 27, 2020, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that Russian Tu-142s had entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), staying within international airspace for eight hours.
The aircraft came within 65 nautical miles south of Alaska's Aleutian island chain, prompting a US response. According to NORAD, the Russian planes did not enter US or Canadian airspace.
For context, an ADIZ is a monitored perimeter that allows friendly countries to react to potential hostile action. The US has established four such zones, with a dozen other countries also having their own.
This incident marked the fourth time in a month that US planes had intercepted Russian aircraft near Alaska. In a separate incident, the Russian defense ministry published images of two US B-1 bombers intercepted by Russia after flying over the Baltic and Black seas near Russia on May 29.
