US scrambles fighter jets to track 2 Russian warplanes flying near American airspace

NORAD scrambled U.S. and Canadian fighter jets Wednesday after detecting two Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ), officials said.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it detected and tracked two Russian TU-142 military aircraft operating in the Alaskan and Canadian ADIZ on March 4, 2026.

NORAD launched two U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter aircraft, two F-22 fighter aircraft, four KC-135 tankers, one E-3 AWACS aircraft, two Canadian CF-18 fighter aircraft and one CC-150 tanker to positively identify, monitor and intercept the Russian aircraft in the American and Canadian ADIZ, according to the command.

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The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD said. The command added that such activity in the Alaskan and Canadian ADIZ occurs regularly and is not considered a threat.

The incident follows a similar encounter last month, when NORAD intercepted five Russian military aircraft — including two Tu-95 bombers, two Su-35 fighter jets and an A-50 airborne early warning aircraft — operating near the Bering Strait off Alaska’s western coast. In that case, NORAD launched F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, supported by an E-3 aircraft and refueling tankers, to identify and escort the Russian planes until they departed the area.

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NORAD said the aircraft in that encounter also remained in international airspace, did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign territory and were not viewed as provocative.

Air Defense Identification Zones begin where sovereign airspace ends and extend into international airspace. Aircraft entering an ADIZ are expected to identify themselves in the interest of national security, according to NORAD.

NORAD, headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and determine appropriate responses.