U.S. fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft near Alaska for the third time this week
On Sunday, a Russian Il-20 surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft approached U.S. airspace. These “visits” have increased following the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage.
Fighters from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted a Russian aircraft in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) for the third time in the past week, ABC reported.
According to NORAD, one E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft, two F-16 fighters and two KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes were dispatched “to intercept and visually identify” a Russian Il-20 surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft operating inside the Alaska ADIZ.
The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD said.
“This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not considered a threat,” the statement said, seeking to reassure Americans.
According to NORAD, “The Air Defense Identification Zone begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the immediate identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.”
Over the past week, U.S. F-16 fighters scrambled twice (on August 21 and 20) to intercept Russian Il-20 aircraft operating in the Alaska ADIZ.
“NORAD employs a layered defense network consisting of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft, and to inform appropriate actions,” the command said in its Sunday statement.
U.S. officials said NORAD “remains ready to employ a range of response options to defend North America.”
On August 15, Trump and Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, during which Trump applauded the Russian president several times.
It also emerged that Putin uses a range of psychological tactics aimed at stalling negotiations while avoiding angering U.S. President Donald Trump.