The North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers near Alaska on Wednesday, the first time the two countries had been intercepted in a joint operation, a U.S. defense official said.
The bombers remained in international airspace in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and were “not considered a threat,” NORAD said in a statement.
The US and Canada, which together form NORAD, intercepted the Russian TU-95 Bear and the Chinese H-6 bombers. The planes did not enter the sovereign airspace of the US or Canada, NORAD said.
It was also the first time that H-6 bombers, a development of older Soviet bombers, had entered Alaska’s ADIZ, the defense official said.
The interception was carried out by U.S. F-16 and F-35 fighter jets and Canadian CF-18 fighter jets, the defense official said. Support aircraft were also involved in the interception, the official said.
On Thursday, the Chinese Defense Ministry said the Chinese and Russian air forces had organized a “joint strategic air patrol in the relevant airspace of the Bering Sea” as part of an existing annual cooperation plan between the two militaries.
Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for the ministry, said at a press conference that this was the eighth such patrol that the two militaries had organized since 2019. Its aim was to “further test and enhance cooperation between the two air forces and deepen strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation between the two countries.”
“This action is not directed against third parties, it is in line with relevant international laws and international practices, and has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation,” Zhang said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the joint air patrol flew over the northern Pacific, including the narrow Bering Strait that separates eastern Russia from Alaska.
The Russian and Chinese crews “worked out issues of cooperation during all stages of air patrol in the new area of joint operations,” the ministry said in a statement. Russian Su-30SM and Su-35S fighter jets also took part in the exercise, which lasted more than five hours, the ministry said.
A video released by the Russian Defense Ministry shows the bombers flying together and being intercepted by US and Canadian aircraft.
Russia stressed that the exercise was part of the 2024 military cooperation plan and “not directed against third countries”.
Asked whether the interception was an example of Russia and China “testing” the United States in the wake of President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential campaign, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that Russia and China “are constantly testing us.”
“Whether our adversaries are testing us now or not, they are constantly testing us, and that is no surprise to any of us,” he said at a Pentagon press conference.
Austin said the approach of Russian and Chinese aircraft to U.S. airspace was “no surprise to us.”
“We have closely monitored, tracked and intercepted these aircraft. This shows that our forces are ready at all times and that we have very good surveillance capabilities,” Austin said.
Austin said the “closest point the Russian and Chinese planes came to the United States” was “about 200 miles off our coast.”
“If there is a threat of any kind from any direction, I am fully confident that NORTHCOM and NORAD are ready and will be able to intercept what is happening,” he added.
He also reiterated that the United States is concerned about growing relations between Russia and China, “especially because we are concerned about China’s support of Russia’s illegal and unnecessary war in Ukraine.”
“We’ll see what happens and how this relationship evolves,” Austin said.
Russian flights into Alaska’s ADIZ are not uncommon. In May, four Russian aircraft flew into Alaska’s ADIZ, which NORAD said was a “regular occurrence” at the time.
But the presence of Chinese aircraft appears to be a new development. In March, General Gregory Guillot, commander of the US Northern Command, said China was pushing further north into the Arctic and he expected to see aircraft there “possibly this year”.
“I have seen the willingness and desire of the Chinese to take action there,” Guillot said at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“We’ve seen them in the maritime domain. We’ve seen them in the shadow of engineering or scientific research, but we believe they are definitely multi-mission, including military. And then I expect we’ll see air activity in Arctic Alaska possibly later this year.
“This worries me greatly.”
China sees itself as an “Arctic recreational area” and is working to expand its presence in the far north, including through cooperation with Russia.
“Alaska continues to be on the front lines of authoritarian aggression by dictators in Russia and China, who are increasingly working together,” Senator Dan Sullivan said in a statement. The Alaska Republican warned: “These types of joint Russian and Chinese aggression at sea and in the air near Alaska will continue.”
CNN’s Michael Conte contributed reporting.
This story and headline have been updated due to further developments.
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