The "hijacked" plane - actually a chartered executive-style Gulfstream - landed in Anchorage after flying across the Pacific and back, monitored all the way by fighters and aerial command posts from both sides.

On board were officers from Russia and from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a U.S.-Canadian force that patrols the skies over North America.

The exercise was designed to test how well Russia and NORAD could coordinate their efforts in the event of a hijacking, especially during the critical handoff stage when the commandeered plane moves from one side's airspace to the other.

The drill will make it harder for terrorists to pull off a hijacking against the U.S., Canada or Russia by building up the air travel system's defenses, said Canadian Forces Col. Todd Balfe, the deputy commander of NORAD's Alaska region and the senior NORAD observer aboard the Gulfstream.  

"I think any time that we increase our cooperation and our coordination, we harden ourselves against further events," Balfe said. Read more

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