A routine intercept by the United States Air Force took a dangerous turn when a Russian Su-35 aircraft performed an unsafe maneuver directed at an F-16 fighter jet operating under the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
NORAD, a collaborative organization between the United States and Canada, is responsible for safeguarding the airspace of both nations.
The incident occurred on September 23, 2024, within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) during an intercept of a Russian Tu-95 long-range strategic bomber. An ADIZ is a unilaterally declared region of international airspace that serves as a buffer zone before sovereign airspace. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the swift identification and monitoring of all aircraft entering this designated space.
According to NORAD, the Russian flight group comprised four aircraft and did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace. However, during the interaction, one of the Su-35 fighter jets escorting the Tu-95 bomber conducted a maneuver described as “unsafe” by NORAD.
Video footage, released on September 30, 2024, and filmed from the cockpit of the F-16, shows the Su-35 cutting across the flight path of the US fighter at high speed.
“NORAD aircraft flew a safe and disciplined intercept of Russian military aircraft in the Alaskan ADIZ,” Gregory Guillot, Commander of NORAD and US Northern Command, commented. “The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force.”
The US Department of Defense has not disclosed whether any formal protest has been lodged with Moscow.
Based on previous pictures of the intercept released by NORAD, the F-16 involved belonged to the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, based at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. Intercepts within the Alaskan ADIZ are relatively frequent due to the proximity to Russian military flight paths and typically occur without incident.
