Narrow miss: US F‑16 nearly struck by Russian Su‑35 over Alaska
United States aviation intercepted a group of Russian aircraft near Alaska. During what might have seemed a routine procedure, a tragedy was narrowly avoided. The pilot of a Russian Su-35 fighter jet, whose features we will describe, executed a very dangerous manoeuvre.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) published photos and video footage of the incident, which occurred on 23 September at the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone.
Dangerous incident with Russian Su-35 near Alaska
United States aviation intercepted a Russian Tu-95 bomber escorted by Su-35 fighters. At one point, the pilot of one of the Russian Su-35s flew very close to an American F-16 fighter jet at high speed, nearly causing a collision.
Both American commanders and analysts describe the Russian pilot's behaviour as extremely irresponsible.
"The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you'd see in a professional air force," commented General Gregory Guillot.
Russia's most advanced serial multirole aircraft
The Su‑35 is Russia's most advanced serial multirole aircraft. It is a twin-engine multirole fighter that entered service in 2014. It measures 22 metres in length and has a wingspan of about 15 metres. It weighs approximately 19 tonnes and is designed for combating aerial targets and ground and maritime objects.
The Su-35 can reach speeds of up to Mach 2.25 (about 2,400 km/h) and is equipped with thrust-vectoring engines, which give it good manoeuvrability at low speeds. Its armament includes a standard 30 mm GSh-30 anti-aircraft cannon. Still, it also has 12 pylons that can carry suspended weapons, including R-37 air-to-air missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometres or bombs from the FAB family.
However, in the video shared by NORAD, it is not visible that the intercepted Russian Su-35s near Alaska were heavily armed. For this reason, the behaviour of the pilot of one of these aircraft is viewed as a provocation rather than an attempt to engage with American fighters. Especially since Russian activity in this region is quite regular. It is not seen by the USA as a threat, but this was the first time such irresponsible behaviour by a Russian pilot was recorded.
