US, Russia plan more anti-hijacking exercises

A first-of-its-kind hijacking exercise involving the US, Canadian and Russian militaries went so well that a similar drill is planned for 2011, an American officer said.

Jet fighters from Russia and the North American Aerospace Defense Command pursued a small passenger jet playing the role of a hijacked jetliner across the Pacific and back during the August exercise. The aim: To practice handing off responsibility for a hijacked jet between Russia and NORAD, a joint US-Canadian command that for decades devoted its efforts to tracking Soviet forces. (AP)