Su-35 Crosses F-16 Off Alaska: How Many Times Has NORAD Caught Russian Planes Coming Too Close This Year?

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has posted a video of an intercept of a pair of Russian Tu-95MS Bear-Hs and their Su-35 escorts as they flew off the coast of Alaska. The video shows a Russian Su-35 Flanker-E flying a very close “headbutting” maneuver, forcing the United States Air Force F-16C to avoid the Russian aircraft’s jetwash. While NORAD intercepts in the area are common, the video is remarkable for just how much of a close encounter it was. But how common are these sorts of intercepts?