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

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