U.S. F-35As and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning Aircraft Demonstrate Networked Airpower Over Strategic Bering Sea.

U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry and F-35A Lightning II aircraft operated over the Bering Sea during Operation TUNDRA MERLIN on September 21, 2026, combining command and control, fifth-generation combat power and aerial refueling. According to U.S. Northern Command, the U.S.-Canadian operation demonstrated the ability to detect threats and sustain coordinated combat operations across Alaska’s northern approaches.

The exercise linked F-35As, E-3 surveillance, KC-135 refueling and U.S.-Canadian maritime forces in a simulated strike scenario. The integration showed how allied sensors, command systems and strike platforms can extend operational reach and strengthen deterrence across the Arctic and Bering Sea.

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U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters, an E-3 Sentry and KC-135 refueling support joined U.S. and Canadian maritime forces over the Bering Sea during Operation TUNDRA MERLIN, demonstrating integrated airpower, command and control, and long-range homeland defense capabilities (Picture Source: U.S. Air Force)

On September 21, 2026, U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry and F-35A Lightning II aircraft flew in formation over the Bering Sea while conducting aerial refueling during Operation TUNDRA MERLIN. The high-profile formation placed U.S. airborne command-and-control, fifth-generation combat aviation and long-range refueling capabilities together over one of North America’s most strategically important northern approaches. According to U.S. Northern Command, the broader U.S.-Canadian operation was designed to strengthen homeland defense and demonstrate the ability of joint and multinational forces to operate across the Alaskan theater.

The Sept. 21 flight was part of a wider maritime strike scenario conducted from Sept. 18 to 22 under U.S. Northern Command and Alaskan Command. Aircraft, surface ships and a submarine were integrated to rehearse the complete maritime targeting cycle, finding, fixing, tracking, targeting, engaging and assessing simulated threats. Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy assets participated alongside U.S. forces, demonstrating that TUNDRA MERLIN was structured not merely as an airpower demonstration but as a binational, multi-domain homeland-defense operation.

The E-3 Sentry and F-35A formation was particularly significant because it visually and operationally represented the different layers required for modern combat operations. The E-3 provided aerospace warning and control, while the F-35As represented the combat element capable of responding to targeting information and operating as part of the simulated maritime strike mission. An Alaska Air National Guard KC-135 supplied aerial refueling, extending the endurance of the force over the enormous distances associated with Alaska and the Bering Sea. Rather than showcasing a single aircraft, the formation demonstrated how U.S. airpower can combine command and control, combat aviation and sustained airborne presence into one integrated package. The official DVIDS imagery confirms the E-3 and F-35As operating together over the Bering Sea on Sept. 21.

That integration extended directly into the maritime domain. USCGC STRATTON supported Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS OTTAWA during additional simulated strikes coordinated with U.S. Air Force F-35As, while other Canadian air and naval forces contributed to detecting and tracking maritime targets. The significance lies in the information chain linking sensors, decision-makers and strike-capable forces across different services and two countries. Ahead of the exercise, Alaskan Command described the objective as improving the ability to detect activity, make timely decisions and position forces where required, capabilities intended to give a potential adversary reason to reconsider aggression.

From a U.S. deterrence perspective, the image of F-35As flying beside an E-3 while being sustained by aerial refueling sends a broader signal of readiness, reach and command-and-control integration. The message is not simply that American fighters can operate over the Bering Sea, but that the United States can sustain a networked force there, maintain situational awareness and connect airborne assets with maritime forces and allied platforms. Earlier TUNDRA MERLIN activity has similarly emphasized combining U.S. and Canadian forces and eliminating operational seams across the northern approaches. This is closely aligned with the Department of Defense’s Arctic strategy, which places domain awareness, allied cooperation, exercises and a calibrated military presence at the center of maintaining credible deterrence in the region.

The location gives the formation additional geopolitical weight. The Bering Sea sits between Alaska and Russia and feeds into the Bering Strait, making the area a strategic gateway between the North Pacific and Arctic. Washington has long treated the Arctic as an avenue of approach to the U.S. homeland, and the Defense Department has highlighted both Russia’s extensive Arctic military infrastructure and increasing Russian-Chinese military cooperation in the wider region. Against that backdrop, TUNDRA MERLIN demonstrates a U.S. ability to generate combat-ready forces from Alaska while integrating Canada into the defense architecture of the continent. The exercise should not be interpreted as evidence of an imminent confrontation or as being directed against a specifically identified threat; strategically, however, it visibly reinforces that the United States intends to maintain the awareness, mobility and allied interoperability required to defend its northern approaches.

Operation TUNDRA MERLIN transformed the image of an E-3 Sentry and F-35As over the Bering Sea into a broader demonstration of how the United States intends to defend the approaches to North America. Supported by KC-135 aerial refueling and connected to U.S. and Canadian maritime forces, the formation highlighted the ability to combine surveillance, command and control, combat aircraft, endurance and allied cooperation across a vast operating area. In the strategically important space between Alaska, the Arctic and the North Pacific, the exercise projected a clear U.S. defense message: American forces can establish presence, integrate multiple domains and operate with Canada as a coordinated force designed to detect threats early, respond rapidly and strengthen deterrence before a potential crisis reaches the homeland.

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Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.