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 identified and tracked Russian military aircraft operating in international airspace near Alaska, an activity NORAD described as regular and not a threat despite being the ninth such incident this year.
This event is part of a broader pattern of escalating Russian military harassment against Western air forces, including recent airspace violations in Estonia and interceptions over the Baltic Sea.
The increased tensions culminated in NATO member Poland directly engaging and shooting down Russian drones that crossed its border, marking the first such direct action since the 2022 Ukraine invasion.

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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.