Moscow aviation irruptions in the preventive identification space of Alaska and Canada. The command of the North Atlantic sends F-16 Caccia, Referters and Radar planes
Strange way to create relaxation, the one between the USA and Russia, in the aftermath of the interview between the presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump: the US F-16 hunting have intercepted Russian spy planes in flight near Alaska for two consecutive days this week. This was stated by the North American aerospace defense (Norad), which specified that in two distinct events that took place on Wednesday and Thursday 21 and 22 August, Russian reconnaissance and surveillance planes Il-20 entered the Alaska air defense identification area (in the abbreviation, Adiz), triggering the intervention of the Norad and the reaction of the USAF.
Two days of consecutive interceptions
On Wednesday, a pair of F-16 Fighting Falcon and a KC-135 Strtotanker referent were taken on Wednesday in order to identify and control the Russian plane in question. The next day, the Norad again sent two F-16s and one KC-135, together with an E-3 Sentry radar aircraft, to intercept the Russian Il-20. In both cases the Russian plane remained in the international airspace and did not enter the sovereign of the United States or Canada.
What is ADIZ and why it’s crucial
Adiz, like other similar areas, is a defined area of the international airspace that begins on the border of the sovereign around the state in which, to enter, the preventive identification of any aircraft for national security reasons is needed. Norad said that Russian activity occurs regularly in that area and is not considered a threat.
The last entry of Russian planes into the Alaska Ediz dates back to 22 July, while in February and in April two other similar episodes had occurred. The area is very vast, so much so that American coastal radars cannot cover it all due to the terrestrial curvature; For this reason, Norad uses a network consisting of satellites, combat planes and terrestrial radar to detect and trace the planes that approach the United States.
Security procedures and controls
These systems inform military leaders so that they can take appropriate measures. Prima di attraversare l’Adiz, gli aeromobili devono presentare un piano di volo del tipo Dvfr (volo a vista difensivo) o Ifr (volo strumentale, con percorso stabilito dagli enti di controllo dello spazio aereo); They must also have a radar response on board (transponder) and maintain bidirectional radio communication during crossing with control bodies.
It is sufficient that one of these conditions is not respected to trigger a preallarm and take off the interceptors. The presence of an Ediz guarantees the safety of Alaska and the north-western border of North America, and is particularly important for the Arctic region, which has been the subject of an expansion of Canadian adizes to better protect its sovereign airspace.
Technologies to distinguish trafficking
Special equipment on board military airplanes, such as the friend-enemy identification system (IFF), and the speeds of the speeds maintained by the aircraft-normally much higher for military aircraft-allow civil and military controllers to distinguish between different traffic. In addition to this, continuous checks are active on the spectrum of radio frequencies used by Russians and US, to intercept any broadcasts by “intruders”.
