The U.S. military is slamming Russia for an “unsafe” encounter in the skies off the coast of Alaska after footage released Monday shows a Kremlin fighter jet cutting off an Air Force F-16.
The incident, which took place Sept. 23, involved a Russian Su-35 fighter flying in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in international airspace, where the F-16 was sent to intercept it.
The F-16, which was assigned to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), was initially shadowing a different Russian aircraft before the Su-35 sharply cut in front of it, coming within feet of the American fighter jet.
The Sept. 23 intercept involved four Russian aircraft, the command said at the time.
Then, in Syria in June 2023, a Russian aircraft came close to U.S. fighters, surveillance aircraft and drones.
The US. s. After footage showing a Kremlin fighter jet cutting off an Air Force F-16 was made public on Monday, the military is criticizing Russia for what it calls a “unsafe” encounter in the skies off the coast of Alaska.
The incident happened on September. entailed sending an F-16 to intercept a Russian Su-35 fighter that was operating in international airspace within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
The Su-35 suddenly sliced in front of the F-16, which was part of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), bringing the American fighter jet to within feet of another Russian aircraft that it had been shadowing.
As the Russian fighter leaps in front of them, the F-16 pilot can be heard in the video expressing excitement.
“In the Alaska ADIZ, NORAD aircraft conducted a safe and orderly intercept of Russian military aircraft,” Air Force Gen. NORAD Commander Gregory Guillot stated in a statement that was uploaded to the social media site X. “A professional air force would not have behaved in such a risky, unprofessional, and endangered manner as one Russian Su-35 did.”. “.
According to NORAD, Russia entered the Alaskan ADIZ four times in September, coinciding with the incident.
Sept. The command stated at the time that four Russian aircraft were involved in the 23 intercept.
While most Russian military aircraft conduct the intercepts safely and professionally, on occasion they take an aggressive approach, as demonstrated in March 2023 when a Russian Su-27 clipped a U.S. S. It forced the MQ-9 Reaper drone to crash into the Black Sea.
Then, in June 2023, in Syria, a Russian plane nearly struck a U.S. S. drones, fighters, and surveillance aircraft. In July of 2023, a U.S. aircraft was damaged by a Kremlin fighter jet. S. When it fired flares at the MQ-9 drone as it went by.
Following weeks of joint military drills in the air and waters west of the state by Russia and China, an incident occurred in Alaska last month. The U.S. S. tracked four navy ships, including two submarines, and eight Russian military aircraft during those drills.
The increase in activity led to the U. s. the military will send about 130 soldiers and mobile rocket launchers to Shemya Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska for about a week.
In a statement released on Monday, Sen. Senator Dan Sullivan (R), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated that the Russian jet’s “reckless and unprofessional” maneuver is further justification for expanding U.S. S. Alaska and the Arctic have a military presence.
“These incidents highlight the increasing aggression we’re witnessing from dictators like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and put the lives of our brave Airmen at risk,” Sullivan stated.
“We have to respond to force with force and keep increasing the infrastructure and military assets that the United States has in Alaska and the Arctic. “.
