Earlier last week, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the deployment of a patrol of strategic bombers from the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) operating within the Alaskan ADIZ on April 14. The interception was later confirmed through the official release of photographs, showing that U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-16 and F-35 fighters had been deployed.
As has been reported on several occasions, the increased activity of Russian strategic bombers in the Arctic is a growing concern for senior U.S. military leadership. This concern has deepened following confirmation, in 2024, of joint patrols involving air assets from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of China.
Regarding the events of April 14, NORAD stated: “The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. According to authorities, this type of activity in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.”
However, it was later confirmed that the Russian aircraft was a Tu-95MS strategic bomber, accompanied during its patrol in the Alaskan ADIZ by a Sukhoi Su-35S fighter—one of the most modern in service with the Aerospace Forces—armed with what appeared to be R-73 or R-74M air-to-air missiles.
The U.S. Air Force assets deployed to visually identify the Russian aircraft included an F-16 Fighting Falcon and a fifth-generation F-35A fighter.
Finally, it should be noted that this is the third recorded incident this year involving VKS aircraft being intercepted by U.S. fighter jets. The previous encounters took place on February 18 and 19, also involving Tu-95MS bombers and Su-35S fighters on the Russian side, and F-35s on the U.S. side.
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