U.S.
Russian military aircraft detected near Alaska; NORAD says no threat
Stars and Stripes
April 15, 2025
Alaska Air National Guard Senior Airman David Warren monitors Alaska airspace Jan. 24, 2024, at Joint Base Elmendord-Richardson, Alaska. (David Bedard/Alaska National Guard)
Russian military aircraft were tracked operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on Monday, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command.
NORAD did not identify the number or type of Russian aircraft it identified and tracked through international airspace, according to a news release Monday from the command in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“This Russian activity in the Alaskan ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” the release said.
An air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, begins where sovereign airspace ends. While not universally recognized, it serves as a buffer area where aircraft are expected to identify themselves for national security purposes.
NORAD did not provide further information about the Russian aircraft’s route, direction or whether U.S. aircraft intercepted them. A spokesperson for the command was not immediately available to respond to phone and email messages left Monday evening in Colorado.
Russian military flights in the region have increased in recent years.
On Sept. 23, a Russian Su-35 fighter flew dangerously close to a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon that was shadowing a Russian bomber in the Alaskan ADIZ. Cockpit footage from the incident showed the Su-35 passing closely along the left side of the F-16, its underside visible as it banked away.
On Sept. 14, NORAD tracked a pair of IL-38 surveillance aircraft crossing into the Alaskan zone.
In July, U.S. and Canadian fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers and two Chinese bombers about 200 miles off the coast of Alaska, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a July 25 press briefing.
NORAD uses a network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radar, and fighter aircraft to detect and track potential aerial threats and coordinate responses, according to the command.