Russian Su-35 shows a ‘headbutt’ American F-16 at very close range near Alaska

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has posted a video of an 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (18th FIS) F-16C conducting an interception of a pair of Russian Tu-95MS Bear-Hs and their fighter escorts off the coast of Alaska. The video in question shows a Su-35S Flanker performing a “headbutt” maneuver at very close range, cutting in front of and across the Viper’s path. It’s the most dramatic video we’ve seen of such a close encounter since a B-52 crew experienced a similar incident over the Black Sea a few years ago.

The video posted by NORAD, taken by a 360-degree action camera placed in the cockpit of the F-16, shows how alarmed the Viper pilot was about the Su-35’s maneuver:

The original September 23 press release about the interception stated that four Russian aircraft were involved:

“The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on September 23, 2024.

The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in Alaska’s ADIZ is common and is not seen as a threat.

An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined area of ​​international airspace that requires the easy identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.

NORAD uses a layered defense network of satellites, ground and airborne radars and fighter aircraft to track aircraft and take appropriate actions. NORAD remains prepared to deploy a number of response capabilities in defense of North America.”

It is worth noting that the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron is unique within the United States Air Force. As we previously reported, the unit was previously called the 18th Aggressor Squadron (18th AGRS), but was redesigned as the 18th FIS earlier this year. This happened after conducting the alert air sovereignty mission to fill in F-22 Raptors for some time at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.

The growing demand for F-22 duties around the world resulted in the aggressors based in the north at Eielson AFB increasingly replacing the Raptors in an alert support role. This led to some very interesting situations where F-16s with Russian camouflage would intercept real Russian aircraft, usually over the Bering Sea. While some of the unit’s F-16s now carry a standard schedule, others do not and still participate in the warning missions. As it stands, the 18th FIS regularly performs both aggressor missions and warning duties, making it unlike any other unit in the corps.

As for the “head butt” maneuver, as we have been reporting for many years, while these types of antics at very close range are considered unprofessional, these types of antics have been going on for decades and were completely common during the depths of the Cold War . They have taken on new meaning and become more productive in recent years as the global security situation deteriorated, with Russia and the United States, as well as many of their allies, pitted directly against each other over the war in Ukraine. China is also notorious for performing similar stunts, which actually involve dumping radar-reflective chaff in the path of the targeted aircraft, posing major safety concerns. That said, the USAF also uses the “headbutt” maneuver to get the attention of wayward aircraft, but not in such an aggressive manner.

As for Russian activity near Alaska, it has increased sharply in recent months, alongside that of China, which is now expanding its power projection capabilities in the air and at sea, with Alaska being a key focus. This included the first flight of Chinese H-6 cruise missile carriers off the coast of Alaska and an increased Russian-Chinese Navy presence in the area. This has prompted the US Department of Defense to allocate more resources to the highly strategic area, including sending naval assets there to closely monitor Russian and Chinese air and naval operations, which have become increasingly popular lately keep and deter.

With the Arctic becoming increasingly important, tensions rising between Russia and the United States, and China becoming more comfortable with long-range military operations, the 18th FIS and their F-22 partners are likely to be busier in the coming months than ever. and years.

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