NORAD says it tracked Chinese and Russian long-range bombers off Alaska

BEIJING -- In the first such flights, two Chinese strategic bombers and two Russian long-range bombers were spotted flying together in a patrol near Alaska, prompting a joint U.S. and Canadian command to track and intercept the warplanes.

The Chinese H-6 bombers and the Russian Tupolev Tu-95s were flying over international waters near Alaska on Wednesday, and the joint U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said U.S. and Canadian fighter jets were sent up in response.

The Chinese and Russian flights were not seen as a threat, NORAD said.

But it was the first time known to U.S. military officials that Chinese bombers have flown in the North American U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone, an area beyond U.S. and Canadian airspace in which those countries require aircraft to be identified for national security reasons, according to the U.S. military.

The joint U.S.-Canadian command said in a news release that it would “continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday: “This is the first time that we’ve seen these two countries fly together like that."

“They didn’t enter our airspace, I think the closest point of approach was about 200 miles off of our coast,” Austin said. “This is a thing that we track very closely. We’re able to intercept."

China and Russia confirmed Thursday that they had conducted a joint air patrol over the Bering Sea, which divides Russia and Alaska.

While Russia’s military has long been active in the north Pacific, China has emerged as a new actor in recent years as its growing navy and air force expands their presence farther from the country’s shores.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the joint patrol also flew over the Chukchi Sea, which is on the north side of the Bering Strait. Russian fighter jets and strategic bombers were joined by Chinese strategic bombers in the exercises, which lasted more than five hours, the ministry said.

The joint patrol tested and improved coordination between the two air forces, said Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry. He said it was the eighth joint strategic air patrol since 2019. He declined to comment when asked if it was the first such patrol over the Bering Sea.

A photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry showed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet escorting a Chinese bomber. Another photo posted online by the military channel of China's state broadcaster CCTV showed Russian and Chinese long-winged bombers flying in parallel formation against mostly blue skies.

The Japanese military has grown increasingly concerned about joint China-Russia drills and the potential threat they represent to the security of Japan and the region.

A fleet of Russian and Chinese warplanes including Tu-95s and H-6s was seen flying together last December over the waters between Japan and Korea, Japan's Defense Ministry said. At the time, China's Defense Ministry called it the seventh joint strategic air patrol with Russia.

Chinese naval ships have showed up in international waters near Alaska, most recently in mid-July when the Coast Guard spotted four ships in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the shore.

Zhang described the naval activity as routine combat readiness training and said that China would continue to conduct far-seas training to improve the capabilities of its troops.