US-Russia to conduct first joint defence exercise

The US and Russia will hold their first-ever joint air defence exercise Aug 8-11, aimed at testing their anti-terrorism systems with a staged plane hijacking.
The exercise, codenamed Vigilant Eagle, involves Russian, Canadian and US Air Force personnel operating from command centres at the Elmendorf airbase in Alaska, US and in Khabarovsk, Russia.

“Airborne warning and control aircraft (AWACS E-3B and A-50) from Russia and the US will be involved along with fighter-interceptor aircraft and refuelling aircraft from both countries,” North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) said in a statement Tuesday.

The scenario will create a situation that requires both the Russian Air Force and NORAD to launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow a US-flagged commercial air carrier on an international flight that has been taken over by terrorists.

The exercise will be carried out under a cooperative military agreement between Russia and the US, which tasks NORAD, the bi-national US and Canadian command, to conduct a live-fly exercise.