Russian, US and Canadian Air Forces have conducted their first-ever joint training exercise, nicknamed “Vigilant Eagle”, which took place August 8-11. The training exercise involved fighters, airborne warning aircraft and refueling planes from US and Russian, as well as Canadian officers at command centers, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The cooperative actions of combat units dealt with acts of terrorism aboard civilian jets and hijackings were simulated.

In what is seen as a step forward in cooperative efforts to combat terrorism, Air Force personnel operated from command centers in Russia and the US. According to the scenario, Russian and US fighter jets shadowed commercial flights “hijacked by terrorists”.
The exercise was focused on the cooperative hand-off of the monitored aircraft between the fighters and refueling aircraft from both countries. The training involved airborne warning and aircraft control from Russia and the US. Civilian air control agencies, Russia’s Federal Air Navigational Service and the US Federal Aviation Administration also took part in the exercise.

The main headquarters of the exercise were based in Russia’s Khabarovsk and Colorado Springs in the US. The back-up headquarters were located in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia and Anchorage in Alaska.The event was authorized under a cooperative military agreement between the Russian and US presidents. "These drills allow us to make a step forward in the Russian-NORAD cooperation on countering potential threats of aircraft piracy," Russia’s Air Force Commander in Chief colonel-general Alexander Zelin said commenting on the outcome of the drills. “This combined effort provided the opportunity to cooperatively detect, track, identify, intercept and follow an aircraft as it proceeds across international boundaries”, NORAD statement said.

The results of the event will be analyzed in September, when representatives of the Russian and US armed forces will meet in Colorado Springs.