Russian Bomber Fighter jet in Alaska.
Team hashtaglobe
9/25/20252 min read
Recent Russian Bomber Activity Near Alaska .
On September 24, 2025, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and intercepted four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), a region of international airspace extending about 200 nautical miles off Alaska's coast where aircraft must identify themselves to U.S. and Canadian forces. The aircraft included two Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" strategic bombers—propeller-driven, long-range platforms capable of carrying nuclear or conventional payloads—and two Sukhoi Su-35 "Flanker" fighter jets providing escort.
NORAD responded by deploying:
One E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft for surveillance.
Four F-16 Fighting Falcon jets for visual identification and interception.
Four KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft for aerial refueling support.
The Russian planes remained in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign territory. NORAD described the incident as routine and not a threat, noting that such Russian flights in the ADIZ occur regularly—12 times in 2024 alone, with annual totals fluctuating between 0 and 15 since Russia resumed long-range aviation patrols in 2007.
Context and Frequency:
This event is part of an ongoing pattern of Russian air activity near Alaska, often viewed as demonstrations of capability amid geopolitical tensions (e.g., Russia's war in Ukraine and Arctic competition). Similar intercepts include:
August 2025: Multiple scrambles against Russian Il-20 "Coot" reconnaissance planes (three in one week).
July 2025: Two Tu-95s and two Su-35s in the ADIZ for over three hours.
September 2024: A Russian Su-35 performed an aggressive "headbutt" maneuver near a U.S. F-16.
These flights mirror U.S. operations in other nations' ADIZs, like near the South China Sea, serving as non-verbal signaling between powers rather than imminent threats. On X (formerly Twitter), users noted the Tu-95's propeller design (dating to the 1950s) as outdated but still potent, with discussions linking it to broader U.S.-Russia dynamics, including a recent Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.