NORAD intercepts 3rd Russian plane near Alaska in a week

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00:00NORAD scrambled U.S. fighter jets against Sunday after a Russian reconnaissance plane

00:05entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.

00:08It marked the third such intercept in less than a week.

00:13The Cold War-era IL-20, also known as ACUT,

00:17was tracked as it moved through the International Buffer Zone off Alaska.

00:22NORAD dispatched two F-16s, an E-3 warning aircraft,

00:26and two KC-135 refuelers to identify the Russian plane.

00:31It never entered U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace.

00:34This comes after similar Russian flights last Wednesday and Thursday.

00:38One passed just 30 miles from St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea.

00:43The other lingered for more than two hours within 125 miles of northwest Alaska.

00:48An Air Defense Identification Zone requires foreign aircraft

00:52to declare themselves when approaching U.S. or Canadian borders.

00:56NORAD says these Russian flights are not unusual and generally do not pose a direct threat.

01:02Still, officials point to a steady increase in Russian military activity near Alaska this year.

01:08A year ago, a Russian Su-35 fighter flew within feet of a NORAD jet.

01:13The U.S. condemned the action as unsafe and unprofessional.

01:18NORAD says it relies on satellites, radar, and fighter aircraft in a layered defense network.

01:24Commanders emphasize they remain ready to respond to any threat in defense of North America.

01:30For more unbiased updates, download the Straight Arrow News app or go to san.com.