Russian Fighter Jets Intercepted Off Alaska, NORAD Launches Escort

U. S. fighter jets were scrambled Thursday after multiple Russian military aircraft were detected off the western coast of Alaska near the Bering Strait, with russian fighter jets among the group and NORAD sending escorts until the aircraft left the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The movement prompted an air-defense response but was described as a routine occurrence and not a threat to sovereign airspace.

NORAD response and assets

The North American Aerospace Defense Command launched a mixed force of escorts and tankers to shadow the Russian formation until it departed the ADIZ. The responding package included two F-16 fighters, two F-35 fighters and four KC-135 refueling tankers. Officials also released images showing interceptor aircraft near the Russian formation and a refueling operation over western Alaska.

Russian Fighter Jets tracked near Bering Strait

The detected Russian formation included two Tu-95 bombers, two Su-35 fighter aircraft and an A-50 surveillance plane; the group was tracked in the Alaskan ADIZ near the Bering Strait. The presence of russian fighter jets alongside bombers and a spy plane prompted the launches, but the aircraft did not enter U. S. or Canadian sovereign airspace and the activity was characterized as a regular pattern rather than a direct threat.

Context and recent ADIZ encounters

This incident follows several recent interactions in the Alaskan ADIZ. In September 2025, U. S. forces again scrambled to intercept Tu-95s and Su-35s. In the previous August, a Cold War–era reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted multiple times in a single week. Earlier footage from September 2024 showed a close encounter between a Russian fighter and a NORAD aircraft, and in July 2024 both Russian and Chinese bombers were intercepted after entering the ADIZ, marking a first for joint activity in that zone.

• What happened: Multiple Russian aircraft, including fighters and bombers, were tracked in the Alaskan ADIZ and escorted out.
• Response: NORAD launched fighters and four KC-135 tankers to shadow the formation until departure.
• Status: The aircraft remained outside sovereign airspace and were not deemed a threat.

Looking ahead, NORAD will likely continue routine identification and escort operations if similar flights recur. If such activity remains elevated, continued use of interceptors and tankers will be the observable indicator that defensive posture is being maintained in the ADIZ.