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US Air Force Plane Turns Around After Russia Plans Missile Test
A flight headed to Antarctica had to head back to New Zealand because of a dangerous rocket test planned by Russia.
A US Air Force C-17 military plane parked on a runway in Christchurch, New Zealand.
By John Doe
Reporting from New Zealand 
Aug. 19, 2026, 3:49 p.m. - 18 hours ago
A US Air Force plane was on its way to Antarctica this week when the crew suddenly had to turn back. The plane, a large C-17 cargo jet, was flying out of New Zealand.
The reason? Russia sent out a warning that they were planning a missile test in the area.
When countries plan to launch missiles or rockets, they send out alerts to pilots and sailors. This lets everyone know that a certain part of the sky or sea is not safe to be in. Even though the test wasn't going to hit the plane, the flight path was too close for safety.
The crew followed the rules and turned the plane around. They headed back to Christchurch, New Zealand, to stay safe.
New Zealand officials are now asking Russia for more information about what happened. They want to know why a missile test was planned in a way that interfered with a routine flight.
For now, the plane is safely back on the ground in New Zealand. No one was hurt, but the mission to Antarctica had to be called off for the day.
Source: CNN
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