NORAD says aircraft did not enter sovereign airspace and were not considered a threat.
The United States and Canada intercepted two Chinese bombers and two Russian bombers operating in international airspace near the state of Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has said.
US and Canadian warplanes “detected, tracked, and intercepted” two Russian TU-95 and two PRC H-6 military aircraft within Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday, NORAD said.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed on Thursday that Russian and Chinese military planes conducted a joint air patrol in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean for more than five hours.
“At the separate stages of the route, the aviation group was escorted by fighter jets of foreign countries,” the ministry said in a statement.
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Defence said the joint air strategic patrols took place over the Bering Sea according to an annual military engagement plan.
Zhang Xiaogang said the patrol deepened strategic mutual trust and coordination and did not target any third parties, saying it had “nothing to do with the current international situation.”
NORAD noted that the aircraft did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace and were not considered a threat.
“NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence,” the binational command said in a statement.
Intercepting an aircraft is military speak for contacting a foreign aircraft by electronic or visual means.
Countries including the US, China, India and Japan have unilaterally declared ADIZs that require foreign military aircraft to identify themselves upon entering a specific zone of airspace.
Unlike sovereign airspace, ADIZs are not recognised in international law or overseen by any international body.
Russian military activity is not uncommon off Alaska’s coast.
In February, NORAD said it had detected four Russian warplanes operating in the Alaska ADIZ.
On Sunday, Moscow said it had scrambled fighters to intercept two US bombers that approached the Russian border over the Barents Sea in the Arctic.