US Air Force: Dramatic video shows moment Russian fighter jet nearly collides with US F-16 off coast of Alaska

The US Air Force had been tracking a Russian nuclear-capable TU-95 bomber flying through Alaska’s air defence identification zone (Adiz) at the time of the altercation. The video shows the American monitoring the Russian bomber from a distance as it was flying in international airspace off the Alaskan coast last week.

Suddenly, a Russian Su-35 Flanker fighter jet flies between the two aircraft on its side. The F-16 fighter jet from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) was forced to dodge the manoeuvre by diving out of the way of the Russian aircraft.

North American Aerospace Defense Command said the Russian jet's conduct was "unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all.” The incident occurred on 23 September, with the video released on Monday (30 September).

Eight Russian military planes and four navy vessels - including two submarines - have come close to the “last frontier” in the past week as Russia and China have conducted joint military drills, beginning on September 10. A Pentagon spokesperson said there was no cause for alarm as the aircrafts have yet to breach U.S. airspace. “It's not the first time that we've seen the Russians and the Chinese flying in the vicinity and that's something that we obviously closely monitor,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference.