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US, Canada, Russia to launch Vigilant Eagle air defence exercise

The exercise’s basic premise is that a foreign flagged commercial air carrier on an international flight has been seized by terrorists

OTTAWA, August 13 (Itar-Tass) — Russia, Canada and the U.S. will conduct their third cooperative air defence exercise Vigilant Eagle Exercise aimed at preventing air terrorism, Canada’s Department of National Defence said issuing a news release of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) on Sunday.

These exercises “continue to foster the development of cooperation between the Russian Federation Air Force and NORAD in preventing possible threats of air terrorism,” according to a news release.

The exercise’s basic premise is that a foreign flagged commercial air carrier on an international flight has been seized by terrorists.

The first exercise took place in the airspaces of Russia and the United States – the Far East and Alaska – on August 6-14, 2010. The next exercise was held in 2011.

This year’s exercise will focus on the cooperative hand-off of the aircraft between fighter aircraft of the participating nations, according to a news release.

NORAD Commander Gen Charles H. Jacoby described Vigilant Eagle as an important step in building confidence and ensuring transparency in the two countries’ military activities.

During his visit to the United States last July the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Gen. Nikolai Makarov emphasized that “experience of our interaction demonstrates that cooperation in such critical situations is necessary.”

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