Overview
- Norway said its F-35s scrambled on March 10 and 11 to identify Russian Il-20M aircraft operating off Finnmark during the Cold Response 2026 exercise.
- The March 11 Il‑20M flew with its transponder off, was detected around 09:30, and was shadowed by two F‑35s from Evenes until it returned to the Kola Peninsula at about 13:30.
- On March 10, F‑35s identified a separate Il‑20M near Sørøya before it turned north and headed back to the Kola Peninsula around noon.
- Norwegian authorities said both flights remained in international airspace and characterized the intercepts as routine, assessing the missions as likely surveillance of allied activity.
- Cold Response 2026 runs March 9–19 with about 32,500 personnel from 14 nations, as Norway’s QRA F‑35s under CAOC Bodø maintain airspace awareness in the High North.