Video: The 'unsafe, unprofessional' maneuver by a Russian fighter jet near a NORAD aircraft

A North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) aircraft intercepted a Russian aircraft flying miles off Alaska. Although the U.S.-Canadian organization did not detail the coordinates of the encounter, it did specify that it is an area near the airspaces of both that they monitor for security purposes (called the "Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)."

In a video recorded from inside the cockpit of a U.S. F-16, it can be seen how a Russian Su-35 cuts it off. Gregory Guillot, an Air Force general, described the maneuver as "unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force."

"What this Russian fighter pilot did is reckless, incompetent and dangerous at several levels," commented astronaut and former Canadian Forces pilot Chris Hadfield on social media. He says he has intercepted Russian bombers on at least eight occasions.

The episode occurred on Sept. 23. That same day, NORAD issued a statement announcing that it had detected and monitored four Russian fighters in the Alaska ADIZ.

Russian military flights in the area are becoming increasingly frequent, ever since in 2007 Vladimir Putin announced that his bombers would resume the Soviet practice of long-range sorties.

In July, Moscow and Beijing conducted the first joint maneuver in the area. Just over a week later, the Coast Guard detected a Russian intelligence vessel in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, less than 200 nautical miles offshore.