U.S. detects and tracks 4 Russian warplanes flying in international airspace off Alaska coast

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said on Tuesday that it had detected and tracked four Russian warplanes flying near Alaska. The military aircraft were operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), an area stretching about 150 miles from the U.S. coast that is monitored to provide additional reaction time in case of hostile actions. “The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” NORAD said in a statement. Russia confirmed on Wednesday that two…