Multiple Russian Aircraft Intercepted in U.S. Air Defense Zone This Year

Russian aircraft have made at least four incursions into airspace close to Alaska since the beginning of the year as tensions between Moscow and Washington simmer over the Ukraine war.

Four Russian aircraft entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on July 3 in the latest of several incidents over recent months. The aircraft did not infringe on U.S. or Canadian airspace, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which is made up of U.S. and Canadian forces, said in a statement posted to social media.

A U.S. Defense Department spokesperson told Newsweek on Wednesday that Russian activity in the ADIZ "occurs regularly, and we do not view this activity as a threat." A NORAD spokesperson also told Newsweek there is "nothing associated with this and/or previous events that would indicate there are any ties to global activity."

The ADIZ is international airspace, but "requires the ready identification, location and control of all aircraft in the interest of national security," NORAD said in its Tuesday press release. The aerospace force did not specify which type of aircraft were involved on July 3.

Russia's aircraft have not made very many trips into the ADIZ this year, and other militaries conduct similar flights in airspace close to Russia, former British military officer Frank Ledwidge said.

However, there is significance to the location of the Russian aircraft, he told Newsweek. If Moscow did ever launch ballistic missiles at the U.S., they would travel over the Arctic region. Although this would be a different flight path to that taken by Russian jets, they could nonetheless be probing U.S. air defenses in the region, Ledwidge said.

Moscow may also be reminding the U.S. of its military capabilities as the war in Ukraine drags on, Ledwidge argued. These intercepts may be part of a strategy to remind Washington that Russia has a capable air force that can pose a threat, he added.

NORAD jets also intercepted six Russian aircraft operating in or close to the ADIZ on May 11, which coincided with several scheduled U.S. military drills in Alaska.

"The Russian aircraft were Tu-95 bombers, IL-78 tankers and Su-35 fighter aircraft," NORAD said. NORAD said another Russian military aircraft was operating in the ADIZ on May 15.

Another two Russian aircraft were intercepted in the ADIZ on April 17, NORAD said at the time.

Since 2007, NORAD has registered between six and seven intercepts of Russian military aircraft per year on average. But these numbers can be as high as 15 or as low as not a single aircraft, NORAD added.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Update 07/06/23, 6.20 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a response from NORAD.