For the first time Sunday, the U.S. and Russia conducted a joint military exercise defending airspace as a test of how they'd respond in the event of an international hijacking.

Fighter jets from both countries took turns pursuing a civilian plane -- a Gulfstream 4 playing the role of a Boeing 757 that went off course and failed to respond to air traffic controllers.

The purpose of thr exercise -- dubbed Vigilant Eagle -- was to see how well they'd transfer responsibility for the troubled plane as it crossed the boundary between Alaska and Russia over the Pacific Ocean.

"It's a post-Cold War effort to try to normalize relations with the Russians," said Lt. Col. John Oberst, operations officer for the Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Air Control Squadron.

The plane took off from Anchorage around 11 a.m. In the scenario, F-22 fighter jets based at Elmendorf Air Force Base were already in the air, so they were diverted to monitor the wayward plane, known as a "track of interest." An AWACS communications plane and an air tanker also took part.

"It's phenomenal," said Master Sgt. Doug Patchin, adding that it's important to take part in the early stages of an effort that someday could save lives.

Inside the regional air operations center on Elmendorf, members of the 176th Air Control Squadron and representatives of the Russian Federation Air Force monitored the plane's progress through phone and Internet connections, and on a big screen that used Google Earth. They had expected the plane's location to be updated in real time on the screen. But there was a glitch, so they had to do it manually.

From the U.S. side, the situation was controlled in a secure room using classified technology that the Russians couldn't have access to, officers said.

At 1:28 p.m., the U.S. forces handed over responsibility to the Russians, who had sent their own fighter and communication planes.