Norwegian F-35s track Russian bombers carrying long-range cruise missile
Norwegian pilots closely monitored the movements of Russian aircraft after F-35s were scrambled to identify strategic bombers operating near NATO airspace. One of the Tu-95MS bombers was observed carrying a Kh-101 cruise missile under its wing — the same type of weapon routinely used in strikes against targets in Ukraine.
“There may be a training element involved, but this is probably first and foremost signalling,” said Lars Peder Haga, associate professor at Norway’s Air Force Academy.
It is not the first time Russian strategic bombers have been seen carrying visible cruise missiles during patrols near Norwegian airspace, though such sightings have become more frequent since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
On 30 April, two Tu-95MS strategic bombers took off from the Olenya air base on the Kola Peninsula and headed west over the Barents Sea. A video published by the Russian Ministry of Defence clearly shows a Kh-101 cruise missile mounted on one of the underwing pylons.
The Norwegian Air Force has declined to provide details on the weapon loadouts of the Russian aircraft, but confirmed to the Barents Observer that a pair of F-35s was scrambled for identification.
“Two Norwegian F-35s on NATO Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) readiness from Evenes Air Station identified two Russian Tu-95MS BEAR H bombers and two Su-30SM FLANKER H fighter aircraft in international airspace over the Barents Sea,” said spokesperson Major Stian Roen.
“We can also confirm that the aircraft you are referring to were carrying weapons.”
The Kh-101 is a subsonic cruise missile with a range of approximately 3,500 kilometres. It is Russia’s most commonly used air-launched cruise missile in its war against Ukraine.
A Kh-101 was used in the strike on the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv on 8 July 2024. That missile was carried by a Tu-95MS that also took off from the Olenya air base, similar to the aircraft seen operating near Norway last week.
Major Roen said the F-35s based at Evenes play an important role for Norway and NATO in locating and identifying unidentified aircraft in the north.
“We do this, among other things, to maintain an overview of flight frequency and patterns, and to retain control of air traffic,” he said.
“The F-35 aircraft document all QRA missions they are scrambled for, and they monitor the equipment and capabilities carried by aircraft, reporting back to CAOC and NATO after the mission is completed,” he added.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence did not identify the Norwegian aircraft, but confirmed in its statement on the 30 April flight that “during certain stages of the flight, the strategic bombers were accompanied by foreign fighters.”
It also stated that the bombers flew over both the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. The Norwegian Air Force has not disclosed how far south along the Norwegian coast the Russian aircraft travelled.
The Tu-95MS aircraft also conducted in-flight refuelling from an Ilyushin Il-78M tanker during the mission. The flight, from take-off until landing back at Olenya air base, lasted for more than seven hours.
Lars Peder Haga noted that the Su-30SM multi-role fighters escorting the bombers wore the camouflage livery of the Aerospace Forces (VKS), rather than the solid grey scheme typically used by Naval Aviation units based at Severomorsk-1 air base.
“There are no VKS Su-30SM/Flanker-H permanently stationed on the Kola Peninsula. To my knowledge, this is the first time that fighters other than the Russkiye Vityazi, from outside the Kola region, have provided escort for a strategic aviation flight over the Barents and Norwegian seas,” Haga said.
