US fighter jets respond to Russian aircraft after detecting it near Alaska

US forces detected and tracked a Russian IL-20 COOT surveillance-reconnaissance aircraft operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), prompting a response.

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) deployed an E-3 surveillance aircraft, two F-16 fighter jets, and two KC-135 tankers to "intercept and visually identify" the Russian aircraft, the command said in a late Sunday statement.

"The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace," it noted.

The command emphasized that such incidents occur regularly and are not considered threatening.

The Alaskan ADIZ represents international airspace outside US and Canadian sovereign territory where aircraft must identify themselves for national security monitoring purposes.

This marks the latest in a series of similar encounters, with NORAD responding to another IL-20 COOT aircraft days earlier and tracking a Russian military aircraft in July.

An Air Defense Identification Zone begins where sovereign airspace ends, creating a buffer zone in international airspace requiring aircraft identification for security purposes.