Anchorage residents can expect to see and hear fighter jets taking off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and conducting low-altitude intercepts above the city on Thursday and possibly Friday, according to military officials. The North American Aerospace Defense Command said the flights are part of training for its pilots to practice interception and identification procedures.
NORAD maintains a large presence in Alaska, with U.S. and Canadian troops manning Airborne Warning and Control Systems aircraft, F-22 Raptor fighter jets and numerous radar sites throughout the state in an effort to guard against foreign and unknown air threats. In addition to guarding sovereign territory, NORAD sends its jets into nearby international waters -- known as Air Defense Identification Zones -- to identify and make visual contact with any planes that aren't responding to air traffic controllers or don't have the proper identification.
Usually, the planes intercepted by NORAD jets stationed at JBER are Russian military aircraft -- both fighters and long-range nuclear bombers -- that are found traveling within 200 miles of the U.S. border. NORAD has said that the number of Russian flights into Alaska's Air Defense Identification Zones has doubled to 10 per year since 2013.
NORAD said its Anchorage training is scheduled to take place on Thursday, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., but it could be moved to Friday because of weather conditions.