North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted two Russian Tu-95 and two Chinese H-6 military bomber aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on July 24, according to the command's statement.
Russian and Chinese bombers were intercepted in international space by U.S. F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as Canadian CF-18 fighter jets. Support aircraft were also involved in the operation, according to CNN.
The detected bomber planes did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign air space and were "not seen as a threat." NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America, the command added.
This is not the first time Russia has made flights in Alaska's vicinity. In May, four Russian planes flew through the ADIZ zone. According to NORAD, this "happens regularly."
Chinese H-6 military bombers, derivatives of older Soviet aircraft, have entered the Alaska ADIZ zone for the first time, CNN reported, citing a defense official.
In March, General Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command, said China was moving further north into the Arctic. Guillot expected to see aircraft there "potentially this year."
The general also expressed concern about the presence of Chinese aircraft in the area.
China calls itself a "near-Arctic" state and is trying to expand its presence in the north, particularly with the help of Russia.
Beijing has maintained close ties with Moscow during the war, increasing economic cooperation and disrupting Western attempts to isolate Russia.
Expanded trade with China has played a key role in allowing Moscow to keep its economy running and ramp up its military industry despite Western economic pressure.
In May, the U.S. added 37 Chinese entities to the trade blacklist due to security reasons, including 11 of them accused of being connected to last year's espionage incident.
The Biden administration imposed additional sanctions on Beijing after a spy balloon drifted from Alaska to South Carolina in February 2023, causing outrage in Washington and prompting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel his trip to China.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed it was a weather balloon blown off the course.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
