U.S. and NATO Scramble Jets as Russia Tests Boundaries

NORAD deploys an E-3, four F-16s, and four KC-135 tankers.

Zach Vasile

Friday, September 26, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon departs from the 86th Air Base, Romania, on September 23, 2023, in support of NATOs enhanced air policing capabilities. [Courtesy: Department of Defense]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. fighter jets scrambled to identify and track Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), an international airspace, which NORAD considers a regular, non-threatening occurrence.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of increased Russian air force activity and harassment, including recent intercepts over the Baltic Sea and incursions into Estonian airspace.
Most significantly, Polish and NATO fighter jets engaged and shot down Russian drones that entered Polish airspace, marking the first direct destruction of Russian military assets by a NATO member since early 2022.

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U.S. fighter jets scrambled to identify and track Russian military aircraft that entered closely-monitored airspace around Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Thursday.

The Russian aircraft, two Tu-95s and two Su-35s, flew into a stretch of international airspace known as the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which “requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security,” according to NORAD. The joint U.S.-Canada command responded by sending an E-3, four F-16s, and four KC-135 tankers to identify the Russian airplanes and intercept them if needed.