A Russian Su-35 pilot unleashed his inner Maverick off the coast of Alaska last week and got a predictable reaction from NORAD. “On Sept. 23, 2024, NORAD aircraft flew a safe and disciplined intercept of Russian Military Aircraft in the Alaska ADIZ,” NORAD Commander Gen. Gregory Guillot said in a tweet. “The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force.”
After several NORAD fighters intercepted a flight of Russian bombers and their escorts in the Air Defense Identification Zone off Alaska, one of the Su-35s apparently hung back and then accelerated in a full afterburner pass of one of the NORAD planes. The close buzz clearly startled the NORAD pilot and rocked the aircraft.
