Operation Noble Defender:NORAD Reacts to Russia

From 20-23 September 2020,NORAD is conducting a Dynamic Force Employment operation,Operation Noble Defender.A DFE operation prioritises major combat capabilities, while at the same time providing options for scalable military operations,NORAD said: As a bi-national command, NORAD is drawing on forces from both countries to respond to increased Russian military activity along the periphery of both nations.* For example,on 18 September 2020,NORAD scrambled F-22 Raptors and E-3 AWACS, supported by KC-135 refueling air tankers, to intercept two Russian Tu-160 bombers and two Su-35 fighters which had entered the Alaska Air Identification Zone (ADIZ) three times, lingering there about four hours.Indeed,this was actually part of a marathon mission by the Russian bombers which lasted 25 hours,a record for the Tu-160.The bombers had taken off from Engels Air Base near Saratov in Southern Russia,then flew via the Barents Sea to the central Arctic Ocean and over the Northern Sea Route towards the Pacific in the Russian Far East, and finally heading over Siberia and back to Engels.The mammoth mission crossed over a number of seas, including the Kara,Laptov,East Siberian and Chukchi Seas.* Operation Noble Defender is taking place in all three NORAD Regions: Continental United Stayes (CONR); Alaska (ANR);and Canadian (CANR). Participating are the F-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Falcon and CF-18 Hornet fighters, supported by E-3 AWACS and CC-150T Polaris refueling tankers.Under the operational control of Canadian NORAD Region,these assets will exhibit agile and dynamic force employment to and from critical NORAD forward operating bases along the northern approaches to North America.Said Royal Canadian Air Force MG Eric Kenny, Commander,CANR: This extensive operation shows the iron-clad relationship that exists within the NORAD team.We stand ready to deter and defeat threats along our approaches.* One of the units taking part in DFE operations is 140th Fighter Wing of the Colorado Air National Guard.It headed to 5 Wing,Goose Bay,Newfoundland and Labrador with its F-16s.*