MOSCOW, November 26 (RIA Novosti) – Russian and North American military officials have held a first planning meeting for next year’s joint anti-terrorism drills involving the Russian, US and Canadian air forces, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
The Vigilant Eagle 2014 drills will take place in August and will practice coordination between the Russian armed forces and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in the event of a terrorist attack on a passenger airliner, said Lt. Col. Alexander Gordeyev, a spokesman for the Eastern Military District.
The simulated mission will involve the detection, identification and interception of an airplane hijacked by terrorists, Gordeyev said.
Russian and NORAD military officials will hold a meeting in the US in February to finalize the scenario and details of the exercises.
Vigilant Eagle 2014 will be the fourth cooperative live-fly air defense exercise between NORAD and the Russian Air Force, based on a 2003 agreement between Moscow and Washington to strengthen their military relationship.
