Could a 1950s bomber pose a threat to advanced defenses today? On Sept. 24, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) had that very question put to it head-on when it tracked four Russian military aircraft two Tu-95 “Bear” strategic bombers and two Su-35 “Flanker-E” fighters passing through the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). Because the Russian formation remained in international airspace, the encounter testified to the enduring usefulness of Cold War-era airframes for contemporary geopolitical signaling and sophisticated systems NORAD uses to track and deter them.
Identification began when NORAD’s radar system detected the incoming planes entering the ADIZ, an exclusionary zone starting around 12 nautical miles off the U.S. coast where all aircraft must identify themselves for national security purposes. This tracking relies on a hierarchical network of surface radar, satellite surveillance, and airborne bases. Command scrambled an integrated package: four F-16 Fighting Falcons, four KC-135 Stratotanker air-refueling aircraft, and an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane.
The Su-35, designated by NATO as the Flanker-E/M, is Russia’s newest 4.5-generation fighter. Powered by two AL-31F 117S turbofans, it will cruise at speeds of around Mach 2.25 and carry a diverse weapons load, from long-range Kh-48 UshE missiles to KAB-1500LG guided laser bombs. Its agility and radar make it the perfect escort for the Tu-95, even though that aircraft is from back in the day and remains a lethal strategic bomber. The four Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engines of the Tu-95 power huge contra-rotating propellers, providing it with outstanding range and persistence abilities that were initially conceived to carry nuclear warheads across continents.
The US response was centered on the F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole fighter with high-speed interceptor capability. Its AN/APG-68 radar allows detection and tracking of multiple targets at extended ranges, with maneuver and weapon carrying capability making it effective both against fighters and bombers. The airborne presence was maintained by the KC-135 Stratotankers in the operation, fueling the F-16s in order to extend overflies of the vast areas of the North Pacific.
Central to operations was the E-3 Sentry AWACS, a Boeing 707-320B extensively modified for a rotatable radar dome that has a reach of over 250 miles in any direction, from ground to stratosphere. The current Block 40/45 configuration involves open-architecture computing, advanced electronic support measures, and passive surveillance. These enable command and control, battle management, and target tracking at the same time essential for coordinating intercepts in densely trafficked airspace. The AWACS also incorporates the AWACS Communications Integration Program, beyond-line-of-sight SATCOM, second-generation NATO UHF, and anti-jam GPS for sustaining operating integrity even in electronic warfare conditions.
NORAD’s statement emphasized that “the Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,” and said this type of activity within the Alaskan ADIZ “occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.” But the timing during increased tensions between NATO and Russia and airspace intrusions in Estonia and Poland in recent days suggests these flights are strategic probes of allied readiness.
Historical precedent establishes the significance of these intercepts. NORAD’s airborne surveillance has been the foundation with which the E-3 AWACS has been associated since its first operational flight in 1977, advancing through tasks from Cold War intercepts to counter-narcotics operations and disaster relief coordination. Its pulse-Doppler radar was originally created to penetrate ground clutter, an innovation that allowed persistent “look-down” surveillance of low-flying targets precisely the capability required for surveillance of incursions into the ADIZ.
This September incident was the ninth Russian incursion into the Alaskan ADIZ in 2025, after 12 in 2024. Activity patterns, such as four incursions during six days in August, have been seen by defense experts as reconnaissance activity, possibly related to major exercises like Northern Edge. Although NORAD has not seen sovereign airspace violations, the rate of these encounters keeps both U.S. and Canadian military forces at a high level of alertness.
For defense planners and military flyers, the episode illustrates the dynamic interaction between old-generation platforms like the Tu-95, new-generation platforms like the Su-35, and NORAD’s multi-platform response capability. It also emphasizes the ongoing relevance of airborne early warning systems in maintaining the strategic balance in the North Pacific.
