NORAD F-16s Intercept Russian Bombers Near Alaskan Airspace

The two intercepted Russian Tu-95 Bear-H bombers remained in international airspace, never straying into U.S. or Canadian airspace, NORAD said.

Kimberly Johnson

Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 06:08 PM ET

Verified

Two NORAD F-16s intercepted two Russian Tu-95 Bear-H bombers near Alaskan airspace, NORAD said. [Courtesy: US Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

Two Russian Tu-95 Bear-H bombers were intercepted by NORAD near Alaskan airspace (ADIZ) on October 17.
NORAD determined the incident was not threatening or provocative, and the bombers remained in international airspace, not entering U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace.
Though Russian aircraft activity in the ADIZ is not uncommon, this was the first acknowledged interception of Russian bombers in approximately two years.

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Two Russian Tu-95 Bear-H bombers were intercepted near Alaskan airspace this week, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

During the October 17 incident, the two bombers were “detected, tracked, positively identified and intercepted,” as they were “entering and operating within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ),” NORAD said in a statement.