London – The combatants of the Aerospace Defense Command of North America (NORAD) intercepted a Russian plane on the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone for the third time in the past week, the command said in a statement.
An E-3 Sentry command and control aircraft, two F-16 and two kc-135 stratotankers were sent “to visually intercept and identify” a surveillance and recognition of IL-20 Russians operating in Alaskan Adiz, NORAD said.
The Russian plane remained in the international airspace and did not enter the American or Canadian airspace, NORAD said in his statement. “This Russian activity in the Alaska Adiz occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” he added.
An Adiz “begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a definite stretch of international airspace that requires the list of all airplanes in the interest of national safety,” Norad said.
Two F-16 fighting the hawks fly over Miami Beach during an air show in Miami, Florida, on May 24, 2025.
Anadolu through Getty Images
During the past week, US F-16 combatants have been sent twice, once on August 21 and once on August 20, to intercept Russian Il-20 aircraft operating in Alaska Adiz.
“NORAD uses a defense network in layers of satellites, radars and combat aircraft in the air and air to detect and track the airplanes and inform the appropriate actions,” said the command in his Sunday statement.
“NORAD is still ready to use a series of response options in defense of North America,” he added.
Alex Ederson of ABC News contributed to this report.
