Norwegian F-35s scramble to shadow Russian reconnaissance aircraft

2026-03-11 - 22:42

Norwegian Air Force fighter jets were scrambled for two consecutive days after sensors detected Russian military aircraft in international airspace off Finnmark, the country's armed forces announced Wednesday. In a statement, the Norwegian Armed Forces said Norwegian sensors detected Russian Il-20M aircraft off Finnmark's coast on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Identification and shadowing "NOR F‐35s from Evenes scrambled, identified and shadowed them," said the statement, confirming that Norwegian F-35 fighter jets on standby took off from Evenes Air Station to intercept the Russian aircraft. The Ilyushin Il-20M, used by the Russian military for reconnaissance and surveillance, was flying with its transponder switched off but was routinely detected by Norwegian sensors. The statement noted that in both incidents, the Russian military aircraft flew in international airspace off Finnmark. Routine but expected "Such events are routine and expected, particularly during large exercises like Cold Response, which is currently taking place in northern Norway," the armed forces stated. On Tuesday, an Ilyushin Il-20M was identified and shadowed by two Norwegian F-35s before it turned north from Soroya and returned to the Kola Peninsula. Regional context The interceptions come amid heightened military activity across Europe, with NATO conducting exercises and Russia maintaining regular reconnaissance flights along alliance borders. While routine, such encounters are closely monitored given the current geopolitical tensions and ongoing conflicts in both Ukraine and the Middle East.