U.S. F-16 fighter jets were dispatched to intercept Russian reconnaissance aircraft near Alaska on back to back days this week, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command. The incidents took place on Wednesday and Thursday when Russian IL-20 surveillance planes entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone .
On the first day, NORAD scrambled two F-16 Fighting Falcons supported by a KC-135 Stratotanker to monitor the Russian aircraft. The following day, a similar response was carried out, this time including an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft alongside the F-16s and KC-135. In both cases, the Russian planes remained in international airspace and did not breach U.S. or Canadian sovereign territory.
The Alaskan ADIZ is a designated zone of international airspace beyond sovereign boundaries where all approaching aircraft must be identified for national security reasons. Such Russian activities in the ADIZ are relatively common and not considered a direct threat. Russian planes last appeared in the Alaskan ADIZ on July 22, with previous incidents also recorded in February and April of this year.
NORAD maintains constant surveillance using a network of satellites, ground and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to track and identify potential incursions near North America. These layers of defense ensure swift and measured responses to any aircraft approaching U.S. airspace.
