The Nation - News from June 21, 1988
American jet fighters intercepted a record 12 Soviet military planes flying off Alaska in a four-day period last week, but the Air Force said it had no explanation for the increased activity. Sgt. George Crawford of the Alaskan Air Command at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage said the Soviets have stayed in international airspace. An intercept is triggered when radar detects a non-commercial airplane entering the U.S. air defense identification zone, a buffer around U.S. airspace. So far this year, the Air Force has flown 20 intercept missions off Alaska.
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