NORAD Scrambles Fighters After Russian Warplanes Alaska Sightings Off Bering Strait
NORAD scrambled jets on February 20, 2026, after russian warplanes alaska were detected off the western coast near the Bering Strait; U. S. fighters escorted the formation until it left the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, a defense notice showed.
Russian Warplanes Alaska sighted near the Bering Strait
U. S. authorities detected two Tu-95 bombers, two Su-35 fighter jets and an A-50 spy plane inside the Alaskan ADIZ on Thursday, with the activity spotted off Alaska’s western shore near the Bering Strait. The ADIZ is the stretch of international airspace that begins where U. S. and Canadian sovereign airspace ends, and it requires ready identification of aircraft in the interest of national security. The sightings were logged on February 20, 2026.
NORAD launched F-16s, F-35s and KC-135 tankers to escort the formation
NORAD launched two F-16s, two F-35s and four KC-135 tankers to meet and escort the Russian formation until the aircraft had departed the Alaskan ADIZ, the defense command said. NORAD also posted photos on social media showing the Russian aircraft as they were being escorted out of the area; the post was made on the Friday following the intercept and the images show multiple aircraft in formation.
The command added that the Russian aircraft did not enter U. S. or Canadian sovereign airspace and described the activity in the Alaskan ADIZ as a regular occurrence that was not considered a threat. The interception on February 20, 2026 lasted only as long as needed to verify identity and ensure the aircraft departed the ADIZ.
Part of a string of intercepts since 2024
The February 20 event follows other ADIZ encounters: U. S. fighters were scrambled in September 2025 to intercept Tu-95s and Su-35s, and in August of the prior year NORAD intercepted an IL-20 COOT reconnaissance plane four times in one week. A 15-second video posted in September 2024 showed a Russian fighter flying close to a NORAD aircraft in the ADIZ, and in July 2024 both Russian and Chinese bombers were intercepted after entering the Alaskan ADIZ, marking the first joint incursion off Alaska by Russian and Chinese bombers.
With the Feb. 20 intercept, NORAD again took steps to identify and escort aircraft detected in the ADIZ; the flight out of the zone was confirmed and photos from the escort were posted publicly on the Friday after the encounter.
the activity was handled through standard identification and escort procedures, and that the flights departed the Alaskan ADIZ after the escort ended. NORAD’s posted images on Friday documented the conclusion of the operation.
