Watch: Close Shave as Russian Fighter Jet Flies Dangerously Close to US F-16

ANCHORAGE, Alaska: A  newly released video from U.S. military officials reveals a dangerous encounter between a Russian Su-35 fighter jet and a U.S. Air Force F-16 near Alaska. The footage, shared on Monday, captures the Russian jet approaching from behind the U.S. aircraft and passing within just feet of it. The incident, which occurred on September 23, is part of a series of Russian incursions into the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), an area just outside U.S. sovereign airspace.

The U.S. jet, operating under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), was sent to intercept the Russian plane. Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, criticized the actions of the Russian pilot, stating, “The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force.” He commended the U.S. pilot for maintaining “a safe and disciplined” approach to the interception.

This close encounter follows heightened Russian military activity near Alaska. Just weeks earlier, eight Russian military aircraft and four naval vessels, including two submarines, neared U.S. airspace during joint exercises with China. In response, the U.S. temporarily deployed 130 soldiers and mobile rocket launchers to Shemya Island, located approximately 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage.

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In July, Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off Alaska, a show of military cooperation that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin described as concerning. In 2022, a U.S. Coast Guard vessel patrolling the Bering Sea spotted a formation of Chinese and Russian naval ships about 85 miles north of Alaska’s Kiska Island.

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for a stronger military presence in the region following the latest incident. “The reckless and unprofessional maneuvers of Russian fighter pilots... put the lives of our brave Airmen at risk,” Sullivan said, urging enhanced U.S. defenses in Alaska and the Arctic amid rising geopolitical tensions with Russia and China.