The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced Thursday that its fighter jets were deployed on Wednesday to identify and intercept four Russian military aircraft detected near Alaska.
The Russian planes remained within international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian territory.
This incident, occurring amidst heightened tensions over recent Russian airspace violations in NATO countries, marks the third such event in approximately a month and the ninth reported by NORAD this year involving Russian aircraft near Alaska.
NORAD indicated that Russian military activity in the international airspace corridor known as the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), where the planes were observed on Wednesday, is not considered a threat and is a regular occurrence.
Understanding the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone
The Alaskan ADIZ is a segment of international airspace that borders U.S. and Canadian sovereign airspace.
It is monitored by the Alaska region of NORAD, a joint U.S. and Canadian defense organization responsible for aerospace warnings and control across North America. NORAD specified that the ADIZ mandates the identification of all aircraft for national security purposes.
On Wednesday, NORAD responded to the presence of the Russian military aircraft—two Tu-95s and two Su-35s—by dispatching an E-3 aircraft, four F-16 aircraft, and four KC-135 tankers to identify and intercept them.
Escalating Tensions Regarding Russian Aircraft Breaching NATO Airspace
This month, NATO allies have been deliberating on how to respond to multiple Russian incursions into the airspace of member nations.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump urged NATO countries to address Russian planes that infringe upon their airspace.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte affirmed Trump’s statements on Thursday, asserting that countries within the military alliance should shoot down Russian aircraft entering their airspace if all other options have been exhausted and it is deemed necessary.
These remarks follow an incident last week where three Russian jets reportedly entered Estonian airspace for a total of 12 minutes without authorization, according to the Estonian government. Russia, however, denied violating Estonian airspace.
Allison Hart, NATO’s spokesperson, stated on X that NATO “responded immediately” and intercepted the Russian planes. Hours after Russian jets were reported to have entered Estonia’s airspace, Polish and allied military aircraft were deployed after Russia launched an aerial attack on Ukraine that targeted areas close to the country’s western border with Poland, among others.
Earlier in September, Poland reported that it had shot down Russian drones after 19 of them breached its airspace. Russia denied this incursion, stating it had carried out a “large-scale strike” in Ukraine but that “no targets were envisioned for destruction on the Polish territory.”
Following the reported violations of their airspace, both Poland and Estonia invoked Article 4 of NATO’s treaty, thereby initiating formal consultations among alliance members.