U.S. Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Warplanes Near Alaska

U.S. fighter jets were scrambled on Wednesday to intercept four Russian military aircraft flying near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced.

According to NORAD, the aircraft included two Tu-95 long-range strategic bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets operating inside the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The ADIZ is international airspace adjacent to U.S. and Canadian territory that requires all aircraft to identify themselves for national security purposes.

In response, NORAD deployed an E-3 early warning and control aircraft, four F-16 fighters, and four KC-135 tanker planes to identify and escort the Russian planes.

NORAD emphasized that such activity is routine and did not pose an immediate threat. However, the interception is the latest in a series of encounters seen as testing U.S. and NATO readiness amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The incident comes one month after a similar interception in the same region. In late August, NORAD tracked a Russian reconnaissance plane in the ADIZ just days after intercepting the same type of aircraft three times.

Last year, NORAD released video footage of a Russian jet flying within feet of U.S. aircraft near Alaska, which a senior general described as “unsafe and unprofessional.”

Despite the repeated encounters, NORAD confirmed that no Russian warplanes have entered U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace.