US, Canada intercept nuclear-capable Russian, Chinese bombers near Alaska: What were they doing there?

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted a formation of four bombers, comprising two Russian TU-95 ‘Bear’ bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers, flying near Alaska on July 24. This interception marks the first instance of Russian and Chinese military aircraft operating together in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

The aircraft remained in international airspace and did not breach US or Canadian sovereign airspace, according to NORAD. The intercept was executed by US F-16 and F-35 fighter jets alongside Canadian CF-18 fighter jets. Support aircraft also participated in the operation.

NORAD, a bi-national command involving the United States and Canada, employs a defence network that incorporates satellites, ground-based radars, and fighter aircraft to detect, track, and respond to airspace incursions. “NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence,” the command stated in a press release.

Russian flights into the Alaska ADIZ are not uncommon, with similar incidents occurring regularly. However, the presence of Chinese bombers is unprecedented. The H-6 bombers are a modernised version of older Soviet bombers, indicating China’s expanding military capabilities and interest in the Arctic region.

An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.

Notably, both the aircraft are nuclear-capable.

China and Russia defend ‘air patrol’

China’s defence ministry stated on Thursday that an air patrol conducted with Russia near Alaska complied with international law and was “not aimed at a third party.”

Chinese defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said, “This action is not aimed at a third party, is in line with international law… and has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation,” adding that the patrol “tests and enhances the level of cooperation between the two air forces.”

Beijing confirmed that the bombers “remained in international airspace” and were “not seen as a threat.”

Similarly, Moscow affirmed that the patrol adhered to international law and did not violate foreign airspace, noting that “at certain stages of the route, the aviation group was accompanied by fighter jets of foreign countries.”

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Kremlin said its “Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers and the Chinese air force’s Xian H-6 strategic bombers carried out an aerial patrol over the Chukchi and Bering Seas and the north Pacific Ocean”.

The patrol was part of a “plan of military cooperation for 2024 and not directed against third countries,” Moscow stated. Russia’s defence ministry shared images of planes taking off and landing, as well as aerial footage.

The TU-95MS planes, developed in the Soviet era to carry long-range cruise missiles, are part of Russia’s nuclear triad, while the Xian H-6 planes are also nuclear-capable.

Deepening ties between Beijing & Moscow

In recent years, China and Russia have strengthened their ties, conducting joint military exercises regularly. Beijing has enhanced its diplomatic, economic, and military relations with Moscow since the onset of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China in May on his first trip abroad after re-election and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping again this month at the SCO summit in Kazakhstan.

In a related development, Russia reported on Sunday that it had scrambled fighter jets to prevent two US strategic bomber planes from crossing its border over the Barents Sea in the Arctic.

The US military routinely conducts flights over international waters, operations it claims are carried out in neutral airspace, although Moscow has responded more aggressively in recent months.

But China has joined for the first time…

US Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska highlighted this as an escalation, highlighting the strategic competition in the Arctic. “Make no mistake, this is an escalation—the first time Russia and China have sent a joint bomber taskforce into the Alaska ADIZ,” he stated.

Sullivan called for enhanced US military presence and infrastructure in the region to counter these developments.

China’s Arctic ambitions were also noted by US Northern Command head Gregory Guillot, who warned of increased Chinese activity in the region under the guise of scientific research.

“What I have seen is a willingness and a desire by the Chinese to act up there,” Guillot told the US Senate Armed Services Committee. “We have seen them in the maritime. We have seen them under the cloud of a technical or scientific research, but we think it is certainly multi-mission, to include military.”

Tensions cold war-like between the US & Russia

Tensions between the US and Russia have been heightened due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and broader geopolitical conflicts. The joint bomber operation occurred shortly before US President Joe Biden addressed from the White House, his first since announcing his decision not to seek re-election and expressing hope that younger leadership would “unite the country and save democracy.”

The recent NORAD interception aligns with the US Department of Defense’s latest Arctic Strategy, which addresses perceived threats from Russian and Chinese military activities. The report underlined increasing cooperation between Russia and China, including joint exercises and patrols in the Arctic region.

US Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks expressed concern over the melting Arctic ice caps, which are opening new shipping lanes and attracting increased interest from both Russia and China.

“More troubling, we’ve seen growing cooperation between the PRC and Russia in the Arctic, commercially with the PRC being a major funder of Russian energy exploitation in the Arctic and increasingly militarily,” Hicks noted.

The US military said it remains vigilant about the evolving security dynamics in the Arctic. Iris Ferguson, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Arctic and Global Resilience, stated, “We’re keeping a watchful eye on how they’re developing their capacity for operating in the region.”

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The presence of Chinese naval ships in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska and their participation in joint exercises with Russia earlier this month has put a spotlight on the growing challenge in the Arctic region.

With inputs from agencies