U.S., Canada detect Russian military planes near Alaska: Norad

This photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a North American Aerospace Defence Command F-16 fighter aircraft intercepting a Russian Su-35 military aircraft near the Bering Strait, west of Alaska, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Department of Defense photo via AP)

WASHINGTON -- The United States and Canada detected two Russian military aircraft near the U.S. state of Alaska on Wednesday, the joint U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) said.

The organization said it launched 12 aircraft, including F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, to “identify, monitor, and intercept” the two detected Russian TU-142 military aircraft, which are used for maritime patrols.

“The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,” Norad said in a statement.

“This Russian activity in the Alaskan and Canadian ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.”

ADIZ refers to the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defence Identification Zones, which is a stretch of international airspace that requires the identification of all aircraft.

AFP