NATO, Russia to launch joint exercise against terrorism
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NATO and Russian fighter aircraft will take part in a counter-terrorism exercise from June 6 to 10, aimed at averting another Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the alliance said on Wednesday.
The exercise, codenamed "Vigilant Skies 2011," will test the operational capability of NATO-Russian airspace security system, which is designed to prevent similar terrorist attacks by sharing information and coordinating interceptions of suspicious aircraft, NATO said in a statement.
The system "provides a shared NATO-Russia radar picture of air traffic and allows early warning of suspicious air activities," it said.
"In situations when an aircraft starts behaving erratically, the air traffic coordination system offers increased information sharing and communication to ensure rapid, joint responses to terrorist threats," the statement added.
According to the statement, the system has two coordination centers, one in Warsaw and the other in Moscow, and six local coordination sites, which are located in Russia, Poland, Norway and Turkey.
