Norway launched fighter jets 62 times in the first half of 2026 in response to Russian flights near its northeastern border, Newsweek reported in July.

The figure shows how busy NATO's northern flank has become. NATO said its jets were scrambled more than twice as often in July 2026 as in the same month last year.

The activity is part of NATO's air policing mission, in which fighters identify and shadow Russian aircraft flying in international airspace near alliance members.

On September 25, Finland and Sweden flew their first joint intercept of Russian aircraft over the Gulf of Finland. Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish Gripen jets took part in the mission.

Earlier, on March 10 and 11, Norwegian F-35s intercepted a Russian Il-20M surveillance aircraft off the Norwegian coast for two consecutive days during the Cold Response 2026 exercise.

NATO describes the intercepts as routine air policing, though the current pace is unusually high.