The U.S. military intercepted several Russian and Chinese bombers in international airspace off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement Wednesday night that two Russian Tu-95s and two Chinese H-6s entered the Alaskan air defense identification zone.
NORAD said the aircraft were “detected, tracked and intercepted.” They remained in the Alaskan ADIZ and did not enter U.S. airspace.
The bombers were intercepted by U.S. F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, Canadian CF-18 fighter jets and other support aircraft, a U.S. defense official confirmed to CBS News.
The official said this was the first time that Russian and Chinese aircraft had jointly entered Alaska’s ADIZ, and the first time a Chinese H-6 had violated Alaska.
The Alaska ADIZ is considered part of international airspace, but is defined as an area where sovereign U.S. airspace ends “where immediate identification of all aircraft is required for national security,” according to NORAD.
NORAD said it “did not consider” the Russian and Chinese bombers’ activity a threat.
Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
In February in the United States Detected There were four Russian fighter jets and another Russian military aircraft flying in the Alaskan ADIZ. May 2023.
And in February 2023, Russian fighter jets It was intercepted there Twice a week. And in the same month, Chinese spy balloons. It was detected It was launched near Alaska and eventually traveled across the continental United States before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina.
Military activity in the Arctic has also surged among the U.S., Canada, Russia and China. Just a few days ago, Moscow Scramble fighter To intercept two US long-range bombers approaching the Russian border across the Barents Sea in the Arctic.
In Russia Ramp up Arctic military operations, including advanced weapons testing supersonic missileEarlier this month, Canada’s Department of National Defence announced plans to bolster the defence of Canada’s vast Arctic coastal region by acquiring 12 new submarines capable of sailing under sea ice.
In China Expanded its own underwater fleet.Canada’s Department of Defence says Russian submarines continue to gather intelligence in Arctic waters.
— Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
