Tu-160 bombers met by NATO F-35s off Northern Norway
Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers were intercepted by NATO F-35 fighter jets during a 16-hour mission over the Barents and Norwegian Seas.
The strategic missile carriers were escorted by MiG-31 interceptor aircraft as they flew over the Barents Sea before continuing into international airspace above the Norwegian Sea.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the aircraft were met by “fighters from foreign countries”. Footage released by the ministry shows an F-35 fighter flying alongside the Russian bombers.
Norwegian F-35s based at Evenes Air Station regularly carry out Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) missions. When unannounced Russian military aircraft from the Kola Peninsula approach NATO's northern airspace, the fighters can be scrambled and airborne within 15 minutes to identify and monitor them.
During the mission, the Tu-160s conducted in-flight refuelling, enabling the flight to last for 16 hours.
The Russian Ministry of Defence did not disclose the air base from which the bombers operated. However, video released by the ministry shows the aircraft landing in darkness. This suggests they did not return to Olenya Air Base on the Kola Peninsula, where the midnight sun provides continuous daylight at this time of year.
The principal operating base for MiG-31 interceptor aircraft in the Murmansk region is Monchegorsk Air Base, located in the southern part of the Kola Peninsula.
NATO has just concluded Ramstein Flag 2026, this year's largest air force exercise. Approximately 150 aircraft participated in the drills across the Nordic region, with the bulk of operations taking place over northern Norway, Sweden and Finland.
The latest mission follows a similar sortie last month, when two Tu-95MS strategic bombers from Olenya Air Base flew along NATO's northern flank in international airspace off northern Norway.
