NORAD says aircraft did not enter sovereign airspace and were not considered a threat.
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Published On 20 Feb 2026
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The United States has dispatched fighter jets after multiple Russian military aircraft were observed operating in international airspace near Alaska, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Two Russian Tu-95s, two Su-35s and one A-50 were “detected and tracked” operating in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), NORAD said in a statement on Friday, adding that it responded by sending two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3 and four KC-135s.
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It said the Russian aircraft did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace, and that they were escorted until they departed Alaska’s ADIZ.
While Russia’s Ministry of Defence has not issued a statement, NORAD said that Russian aircraft are regularly observed in Alaska’s ADIZ and that this type of activity is “not seen as a threat”.
Countries including the US, China, India and Japan have unilaterally declared ADIZs that require foreign military aircraft to identify themselves upon entering a specific zone of airspace.
Unlike sovereign airspace, ADIZs are not recognised in international law or overseen by any international body.
In July 2024, the US and Canada intercepted two Chinese and two Russian bombers operating in Alaska’s ADIZ.
This was the first time that Russian and Chinese bombers are known to have flown together over the North Pacific, marking a further expansion of the countries’ military cooperation and raising concerns among the US and its allies about regional stability.
