“No country has the right to violate airspace. Sweden has the right to defend its airspace, by force if necessary, and will defend its airspace,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson recently stated a refrain resonating across NATO’s northern border as Russian warplanes continue to test allied defenses.
Wednesday saw the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detect and intercept a group of four Russian fighters in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), an designated portion of international airspace surrounding U.S. and Canadian sovereign territory. The Russian group included two Tupolev Tu-95 four-engine long-range strategic bombers and two Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighters. Although the planes did not penetrate sovereign airspace, their approach prompted a coordinated response that included an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS), four F-16 Fighting Falcons, and four KC-135 Stratotanker planes.
The Tu-95, or the “Bear” in NATO terms, is a Cold War-era strategic bomber that remains in active service because of its outstanding range more than 15,000 kilometers and capacity to deliver both nuclear and conventional payloads. Propelled by four Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop motors, each turning enormous contra-rotating propellers, the aircraft can cruise at approximately 500 mph while sustaining fuel economy for long-range patrol missions. Its range capability gives it a centrality in Russia’s strategic communications, being frequently used in flights over NATO airspace to display reach and endurance.
The Su-35, on the other hand, is Russia’s new air dominance capability. Fitted with Saturn AL-41F1S engines that feature thrust-vectoring, the fighter is capable of performing outlandish maneuvers beyond the capability of traditional aerodynamic control. Its Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array radar can locate targets at more than 400 kilometers, presenting it with a formidable role in providing security escort to high-value targets such as the Tu-95. The combination of bombers and fighters for such operations has operational as well as psychological purposes demonstrating power while providing defensive protection against interception.
NORAD’s interception was based extensively on the advanced radar and command capabilities of the E-3 Sentry. The rotating radar dome of the E-3 contains an AN/APY-1/2 radar that can track hundreds of airborne targets within a radius of over 250 miles. This airborne command platform combines information from several sensors, allowing for real-time coordination between interceptors and support aircraft. The four F-16s flown for the mission, with a speed capability of Mach 2 and with AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on board, offered the kinetic enforcement capability in case the Russian planes had entered sovereign airspace.
Augmenting this mission were four KC-135 Stratotankers, whose air refueling support increases the range and stay time of both interceptors and surveillance aircraft. The KC-135’s flying boom capability is able to pump fuel at the rate of up to 1,000 gallons per minute, permitting interceptors to have long on-station times in the large areas of the Arctic and North Pacific. This refueling infrastructure is essential in Alaska’s ADIZ, where bases and intercept distances may be more than 500 miles apart.
The event follows increased military operations in the Arctic and Northwest Pacific. Chinese-Russian combined bomber patrols have already ventured within 200 miles of the Alaskan coast, and combined naval exercises in the surrounding waters have expanded in intensity. The newest strategy from the U.S. Department of Defense warns of “lower-level destabilizing activities” such as GPS jamming and unprofessional military flights by Russia that would hinder crisis response capabilities.
Recent intrusions elsewhere in NATO space Russian MiG-31 fighter aircraft into Estonian skies, for instance, and drones into Poland have stoked controversy within the alliance about adopting a policy of shooting down manned intruders that cross over sovereign borders. While countries such as Poland and Estonia urge bold action, others such as Germany warn against what they call an “escalation trap.”
Alaska’s strategic importance in the defense of the homeland is highlighted by its close proximity to both the Northern Sea Route and the Bering Strait, two routes more frequently employed by Russia to project military power. The state supports a high concentration of radar facilities, fighter bases, and logistics centers positioned to detect and counter threats on the Arctic theater. As NORAD spokeswoman Capt. Rebecca Garand pointed out, Russian flights into the ADIZ have taken place as many as 15 times in one year since Moscow resumed long-range aviation patrols in 2007.
For defense strategists, Wednesday’s intercept was not an isolated incident but one part of a wider pattern of Russian military activity simulating response times, collecting intelligence on allied procedures, and communicating strategic intent. The technical coordination of AWACS surveillance, fighter intercept, and aerial refueling in such operations is indicative of a layered defense posture, one that marries advanced aerospace engineering with operational capability in one of the world’s most demanding environments.
