Nine US fighter jets have been launched after five Russian war planes were spotted heading towards Alaska.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said on Thursday it detected and tracked multiple Russian military aircrafts operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) off Alaska.
NORAD detected and tracked two Russian Tu-95s, two Su-35s, and one A-50 operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification zone, the US and Canadian defense organization said in a statement.
NORAD said it responded by launching two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3, and four KC-135s to intercept, positively identify, and escort the aircraft.
The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD said, adding that the aircraft were escorted until they departed the Alaskan ADIZ.
In September of last year, the US also scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian Tu-95s and Su-35s spotted in the Alaskan ADIZ.
NORAD F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft positively identified and intercepted Russian Tu-95 and Su-35 military aircraft over the Bering Sea off Alaska’s western coast July 22, 2025
Two pairs of F-22 fighter jets, each with an E-3 intercepted Tu-95 bombers Su-35 fighter jets entering the Alaskan ADIZ in 2019
That came just weeks after a Russian IL-20 COOT aircraft was intercepted by NORAD four times in a week.
And in September 2024, NORAD shared a video showing a Russian fighter jet flying very close to a US aircraft in the ADIZ.
In July of that same year, Chinese bombers along with Russian planes were also intercepted, in the first joint entry into the ADIZ.
The Russian Tu-95MS ‘Bear’ turboprop and Chinese H-6 jet were intercepted close to Alaska.
The Alaskan ADIZ is an area of international airspace that begins where US and Canadian sovereign airspace ends.
NORAD says it is a ‘defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.’
The five planes spotted in the Alaskan ADIZ come after Russia was spotted carried out military drills with Iran on Thursday.
