NORAD F-22s and CF-18s intercept Russian ISR aircraft near Alaska
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted two Russian Tu-142 ISR aircraft entering Alaskan Air Defence Identification Zone on 9 March.
However, the Russian aircraft did not enter US or Canadian airspace.
A NORAD fighter escort consisting of F-22 and CF-18 aircraft monitored the Russian aircraft with the support of KC-135 Stratotanker and an E-3 Sentry AWACS vehicle for approximately 4h.
The incident comes after British and Norwegian aircraft confronted a Russian Tu-95 bomber as it approached airspace over the North Sea on 7 March.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
V-22 Osprey safety upgrade moves towards wider fleet installation under $35.5 million deal
Bell Boeing will supply 73 additional ODSSHI kits as NAVAIR prepares to introduce predictive drive-system monitoring across US and Japanese V-22 fleets.
-
AFA 2026: USAF examines uncrewed cargo aircraft for contested logistics
The US Air Force is evaluating demonstrators for uncrewed cargo missions as it considers logistics requirements across the Pacific and other contested environments.
-
Europe risks losing control of CUAS production capacity as manufacturers look abroad
European counter-drone developers are securing early orders in the Middle East while slow domestic acquisition processes threaten to redirect production capacity, expertise and investment away from Europe.
-
India’s rotary-wing capability gap grows as IMRH programme delays persist
With IMRH and DBMRH potentially years from service, India faces a widening rotary-wing capability gap that could drive further foreign purchases even as HAL and Safran build the foundations of an indigenous successor.
-
AFA 2026: Swarm Aero eyes 2027 Gamera flight as Textron/Merlin reveal SkyCourier UX
Two new uncrewed aircraft concepts target very different US military requirements, from massed long-range strike to autonomous logistics. Shephard spoke with executives from Swarm Aero, Textron Aviation and Merlin Labs at this year's AFA Air, Space & Cyber conference to learn more about their capabilities.