Watch: Russian Su-35 'headbutts' US F-16 near Alaska. What does this mean?

The 'headbutt' manoeuvre, where the offending jet cuts in front of and across another, is deemed unprofessional at very close ranges, but has still been witnessed for decades

A Russian Su-35S Flanker jet recently executed a very close-range 'headbutting' manoeuvre against an American F-16 jet off Alaska, according to a video released by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which deemed the action "unprofessional".

On Monday, NORAD posted a video of an 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron F-16C combat jet intercepting a pair of Russian Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers and their fighter escorts off Alaska.

The video also shows a Su-35S Flanker executing a very close-range 'headbutting' manoeuvre, cutting in front of and across the American F-16's path.

The video posted by NORAD, taken by a 360-degree camera placed in the F-16's cockpit, shows that the American pilot was alarmed by the Su-35's manoeuvre.

An American B-52 strategic bomber crew had experienced a similar incident over the Black Sea a few years ago.

A September 23 NORAD press release about the intercept noted that four Russian aircraft were involved, stating that NORAD had detected and tracked these Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on September 23, 2024.

The note said that the Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter either American or Canadian sovereign airspace, adding that such Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not considered a threat.

The release also explained that an ADIZ "begins where sovereign airspace ends" and is "a defined stretch of international airspace", which requires the "ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security".

NORAD also stated that it employs a "layered defence network", comprising satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft, to track aircraft and help in taking appropriate actions.

A report by The War Zone, an online defence news portal, explained that the 'headbutt' manoeuvre is deemed unprofessional at very close ranges, but has still been witnessed for decades and was quite commonplace during the height of the Cold War.

  

According to the report, such tactics have become more prolific in recent years, with Russia and the United States (US), as well as many of its allies, being directly opposed to one another over the war in Ukraine.

China is also notorious for executing similar stunts, said the report, adding that Chinese forces have even dumped radar-reflecting chaff into the path of the targeted aircraft in the past, raising major safety concerns.

However, the US Air Force also uses the 'headbutt' manoeuvre to gain the attention of wayward aircraft, but not in such an aggressive manner, added the report.

Meanwhile, Russia's activity near Alaska has reportedly spiked in recent months alongside that of China, which is now extending its power-projection capabilities in the air and at sea, with Alaska being a major area of focus.

This included the first flight of Chinese H-6 cruise missile carriers off Alaskan shores and an increased Russian-Chinese naval presence in the area.

In turn, this has reportedly prompted the US to allocate more resources to the area, including sending naval assets there to deter Russian and Chinese air and naval operations.