Prime Minister Stephen Harper gives a thumbs-up with Capt. Brent Handy (left) and Capt. Mark Hickey (right) from the cockpit of one of their CF-18s in Inuvik, N.W.T. on Thursday. Prime Minister Stephen Harper gives a thumbs-up with Capt. Brent Handy (left) and Capt. Mark Hickey (right) from the cockpit of one of their CF-18s in Inuvik, N.W.T. on Thursday. Canadian Press/Tom Hanson)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in the right place at the right time on Thursday to have his picture taken in the cockpit of a CF-18 Hornet that landed in the Northwest Territories after scrambling to intercept a long-range Russian military patrol.

Four Canadian Forces fighter jets, their wings laden with heat-seeking missiles, were sent from their base in Cold Lake, Alta. to the edge of Canadian airspace to intercept the planes. They landed in Inuvik, where Harper happened to be as he concluded a three-day visit to the North.

The prime minister’s focus during the trip was Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.

As Harper posed for a photograph with members of the CF-18 crew, giving the thumbs-up sign, he left it to Defence Minister Peter MacKay to explain what was going on.

"This is a response to what NORAD routinely does, as a result of certain triggers that occur if there is an unreported aircraft approaching Canadian air space," MacKay told reporters gathered for a photo-op on the tarmac.

"There’s nothing that announces itself with authority more than a fully armed CF-18 fighter aircraft."

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint Canadian-U.S. operation that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty and defence for North America, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

MacKay said that Russian warplanes – nicknamed Bears – have become a regular sight along the edge of Canada’s Arctic airspace.

When asked how frequently, MacKay spoke carefully.

"There have been, um, a certain number of incidents recently that indicate a greater degree of activity on the part of Russia," he said.

Capt. Dave Moar, one of the pilots, said the patrols are routine.

"Yeah, we’re up here as a unit to do routine sovereignty patrols for NORAD. What else can I say," he told reporters.

The Canadian Armed Forces would not even confirm whether an operation had taken place Thursday, and NORAD never discusses sovereignty patrols.