--- title: "NORAD intercepts third Russian reconnaissance plane in a week near Alaska" description: "Air Force jets based in Alaska scrambled three times in five days to intercept Russian planes in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone." date: "2025-08-25" modified: "2025-08-25" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/norad-f16s-russian-planes-alaska/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Around the World" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Russia" - "United States" tags: - "alaska" --- # NORAD intercepts third Russian reconnaissance plane in a week near Alaska ![A North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 Fighting Falcons takes-off in support of OPERATION POLAR VORTEX on September 11, 2024 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The F-16’s conducted integration training with the 611th Air Operations Center and Navy assets in the Alaska Theater of Operations. Deterring and protecting the homelands from aggression requires the persistent and seamless exchange of information with combatant commands, conventional and special operations forces, the intelligence community, and the spectrum of interagency and international partners. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Carson Jeney)]() *An Air Force F-16 takes off from Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska in September 2024. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Carson Jeney* Air Force fighter jets in Alaska scrambled Sunday to intercept a Russian reconnaissance flight nearing Alaskan airspace. The intercept was the third time in less than a week that U.S. fighters launched to chase down a Russian plane, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, marking a surge in Russian prodding inside U.S. arctic airspace. NORAD detected an Ilyushin IL-20 “Coot,” a Cold War-era Russian reconnaissance plane, inside the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Aug. 24. In response, NORAD controllers scrambled several aircraft, including two F-16 fighters, to “intercept and visually identify the Russian aircraft.” “The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,” NORAD said in a [release]() on Sunday. “This Russian activity in the Alaskan ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.” Russian flights in the ADIZ often draw attention, but are legal. U.S. sovereign airspace and waters extend 12 miles from land, and any flight inside that line would be considered a major incident. But the run-ins with Russian planes generally occur farther out from shore where the U.S. — like many nations — maintains an ADIZ up to about 150 miles from shore. Russian planes have a long history of venturing into the area to provoke U.S. responses, but all flights in the space are legally in international airspace. It was the third such instance in five days. On [Aug. 20]() and [Aug. 21]() an IL-20 was spotted inside the Alaska ADIZ. NORAD did not say if it was the same plane in each case. In each instance, NORAD scrambled U.S. aircraft including two F-16 fighter jets and at least one KC-135 tanker. In the Aug. 21 and Aug. 24 incidents, an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (or AWACS) plane joined. Sunday’s incident saw a second KC-135 scrambled as well. NORAD monitors the Alaska ADIZ through a network of ground and airborne radar systems. The interceptions started five days after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Alaska for a summit with President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine. While on the ground, several F-35 fighter jets and a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber [flew over]() Putin after he arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. NORAD [often scrambles]() fighters to intercept Russian planes in the Alaska ADIZ. Last summer six American and Canadian fighter jets were sent to monitor a rare [joint Russian and Chinese bomber formation]() that was spotted in the zone. Additionally, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is currently carrying out the biennial Northern Edge exercise with the Canadian military, a sprawling war game across Alaska and in adjacent international waters. The exercise involves thousands of troops, more than 100 aircraft and a carrier strike group. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()