"Russian and Chinese warplanes were intercepted off the coast of Alaska by U.S. and Canadian fighters Wednesday, marking the first time strategic bombers from the two U.S. adversaries have operated together near North America, a U.S. official said.
Two Russian TU-95 Bear and two Chinese H-6 bombers flew into the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, a buffer zone in international airspace, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. The flights, which came as close as 200 miles off the Alaskan coast, were the most recent sign of growing military and security cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.
"It's the first time that we've seen these two countries fly together like that [but] they didn't enter our airspace," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday.
The Russian and Chinese bombers all took off from a Russian air base, a development first reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine and confirmed by a second U.S. official. Norad, a joint U.S. and Canadian command that protects against air threats to North America, said the planes weren't seen as a military threat.
The Russian and Chinese planes were closely tracked by U.S. F-16s and F-35s, as well as Canadian CF-18s. "Norad will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence," the command said.
Austin said he is concerned about the evolving relationship between the two countries.
In August 2023, a combined Russian and Chinese naval force patrolled near the coast of Alaska in what experts said was the largest such flotilla to approach American shores. Eleven Russian and Chinese ships steamed close to the Aleutian Islands. The ships, which were shadowed by U.S. destroyers and P-8 Poseidon aircraft, didn't enter U.S. territorial waters.
China also has bolstered Russia's military industry by providing it with microelectronics, machine tools and other dual-use components that have helped Moscow make more weapons. Beijing has denied supplying weapons to Russia.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its aerospace forces and the Chinese air force conducted a joint mission. "The activity was carried out as part of the 2024 military cooperation plan and was not directed against third countries."" [1]
1. World News: U.S. Intercepts Russian And Chinese War Planes --- Flights near Alaska reflect closer military, security ties between Moscow and Beijing. Gordon, Michael R; Youssef, Nancy A.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 26 July 2024: A.7.
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