Russian, NORAD air forces co-operate in exercise tracking hijacked plane over Alaska, Russia

A “hijack” drama took place twice this week over Alaska and Russia, but it was only an exercise. NORAD and the Russian Federation Air Force conducted the two-day exercise to train pilots to find, track and escort a hijacked plane over international borders.

The exercise involved a passenger jet that was hijacked by terrorists after it took off from Anchorage. Canadian jets intercepted the plane over western Alaska and escorted it to the international border over the Bering Strait, handing the plane off to Russian fighter jets.

The exercise was repeated the following day, with the passenger jet taking off from Russia.

NORAD and Russian officials deemed the exercise a success.

Officials say tensions between the U.S. and Russia didn’t affect the exercise, which was meant to foster co-operation.