Second Russian intel plane makes trip through Alaska air defense zone
By JOSEPH DITZLER STARS AND STRIPES •
August 22, 2025 A Russian Ilyushin IL-20 flies over the Sea of Japan in this image released by the Japan Joint Staff on May 18, 2024.
(Japan Joint Staff) North American Aerospace Command intercepted another Russian surveillance flight Thursday in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, the second such flight in the same region in two days. An Ilyushin IL-20 Coot four-engine turboprop aircraft flew through the international zone without entering either Canadian or U.S. sovereign airspace, according to a NORAD news release Thursday. NORAD dispatched an E-3 Sentry early warning and control aircraft, a KC-135 aerial refueler and two F-16 Fighting Falcons to intercept, track and monitor the IL-20, the release said. An IL-20 made a similar flight Wednesday and was tracked by NORAD in the defense zone for an hour and 12 minutes, said Canadian Armed Forces Capt. Rebecca Garand, a NORAD spokeswoman.
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https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2025-08-22/norad-intercept-russian-aircraft-18840788.htmlSource - Stars and Stripes
