U.S. fighter jets were scrambled Wednesday to identify and intercept four Russian military aircraft flying near Alaska, according to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
NORAD said that two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), an area of international airspace adjacent to U.S. and Canadian territory.
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 intercept the Russian aircraft in the ADIZ positively. NORAD emphasized that Russian activity in the area is not unusual and does not pose a direct threat.
The incident is the latest in a series of aerial encounters widely viewed as Russian attempts to probe U.S. and NATO readiness. It follows a series of similar intercepts in recent months, including one in late August, when NORAD said it detected and tracked a Russian reconnaissance aircraft in the same area.
The ADIZ is a key element of U.S. and Canadian air defense. “The Alaskan ADIZ is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security,” NORAD said.
None of the recent encounters have involved Russian aircraft entering U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace.
The latest incident came as European officials investigated a separate security concern: large, unidentified drones that flew near Copenhagen Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday, disrupting air traffic. Danish police described the operators as a “capable actor.”
Heightened aerial activity has been reported across Europe amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. On Sept. 9, Polish and allied warplanes shot down Russian drones that had crossed into Polish airspace. Ten days later, Estonia said several Russian fighter jets entered its airspace.