U.S. Air Force F-16s intercepted Russian Il-20 surveillance aircraft operating near Alaska on Aug 20 and 21, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The intercepts took place in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. While flights of Russian Tu-95 bombers in the area are relatively common, the Il-20, known to NATO as the COOT and outfitted for electronic intelligence gathering, is less frequently observed.
On Aug. 20, two F-16s and a KC-135 tanker were launched to identify and monitor the Il-20 as it flew inside the ADIZ for more than an hour about 25 nautical miles from St. Lawrence Island. The following day, two more F-16s, a KC-135, and an E-3 Sentry command and control aircraft were sent to intercept the same type of plane. The flight remained in the ADIZ for more than two hours and was observed about 100 miles from Cape Lisburne. A NORAD spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine that in both cases the aircraft stayed in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign territory.
The intercepts occurred less than a week after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to discuss the war in Ukraine. NORAD described the flights as routine and not seen as a threat, according to statements reported by Newsweek. The command said its layered defense network of satellites, radars and fighter aircraft ensures the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of North American security.
