The joint US-Canada aerospace defence command said that the activity isn’t a ‘threat’, but that it will continue to monitor competitors near North America and meet ‘presence with presence’.
ADVERTISEMENTThe North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska.
In a statement on Wednesday, NORAD, which is a bi-national command between the United States and Canada, said that the aircraft remained in international airspace rather than entering those of the US or Canada.
“This Russian and PRC activity in the Alaska ADIZ [air defence identification zone] is not seen as a threat, and NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence,” the organisation said in the statement.
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed on Thursday that Russian and Chinese military aircraft carried out joint air patrols over the waters of the Chukchi, Bering and North Pacific seas, but insisted they strictly obeyed the provision of international law and there was no violation of the airspace of foreign countries.
The group of aircraft consisted of Tu-95ms strategic missile carriers belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces and Hun-6k strategic bombers of the Chinese Air Force, covered by Su-30sm and Su-35s aircraft.
The joint mission lasted more than five hours and during the flight, they were escorted by fighter jets from foreign countries, the ministry said, without providing further details.
The joint air patrol was held as part of the Russian-Chinese military cooperation plan for 2024 and is not aimed against third countries, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
China’s Ministry of Defence has also confirmed that joint strategic air patrols took place, according to an annual military engagement plan that has “nothing to do with the current international situation”.
It comes less than two weeks after China and Russia’s naval forces kicked off a joint military exercise only days after NATO allies called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine.