WATCH: Russian fighter jet flies feet away from F-16 in nail-biting moment near Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Military officials have released new video of a surprise encounter between a Russian fighter jet flying near Alaska and a U.S. Air Force F-16 sent to intercept it.

In the video released Monday, the Russian plane comes out from behind the camera and dives past the American plane, just meters from the plane.

The video release of the September 23 encounter with the US pilot led by the North American Aerospace Defense Command comes after a series of Russian incursions into the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, just outside US sovereign airspace.

The interaction drew condemnation from NORAD’s top official and one of Alaska’s U.S. senators.

“The behavior of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional and put everyone at risk – not what you would see in a professional air force,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of NORAD and US Northern Command.

The NORAD aircraft flew “a safe and disciplined” routine to intercept the Russian planes, he added. A message sent to the Russian embassy on Monday seeking comment was not immediately returned.

The Russian plane’s close pass comes just weeks later eight Russian military aircraft and four naval ships, included two submarinescame close to Alaska while China and Russia fought joint drilling.

None of the planes violated U.S. airspace. However, about 130 U.S. soldiers along with mobile rocket launchers were sent to Shemya Island, about 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage. They were deployed to the Aleutian Islands for a week before returning to their bases.

In July, Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace near Alaska, a sign of cooperation, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. concerns expressed.

In 2022, a U.S. Coast Guard ship was moored about 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Alaska’s Kiska Island in the Bering Sea encountered three Chinese and four Russian naval vessels sailing in single formation.

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Russian plane’s close pass is another reason to build up the U.S. military presence in Alaska and the Arctic.

“The reckless and unprofessional maneuvers of Russian fighter pilots – just a few meters away from our Alaska-based fighter jets – in the Alaska ADIZ on September 23 endanger the lives of our brave pilots and underscore the escalating aggression we are witnessing dictators like Vladimir Putin,” Sullivan said in a statement.