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 intercepted Russian military aircraft operating in international airspace near Alaska, an event NORAD describes as regular and non-threatening.
This Alaskan incident is part of a broader pattern of increasing Russian military incursions into or near Western airspaces, including recent intercepts over the Baltic Sea and an unauthorized entry into Estonian airspace.
In a significant escalation, Russian drones entering Poland were shot down by Polish and NATO forces, marking the first direct military engagement of Russian assets by a NATO member since the 2022 Ukraine invasion.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.