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- U.S. intercepts Russian, Chinese bombers off Alaskan coast (newsbreak.com)
On Wednesday, U.S. fighter jets intercepted several Russian and Chinese bombers in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, just off the coast of Alaska. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) identified and tracked two Russian Tu-95 bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers without these aircraft entering U.S. sovereign airspace.
U.S. F-16 and F-35 jets, along with Canadian CF-18s and support aircraft, were deployed for the interception. A defense official reported to CBS News that this incident marked the first joint entrance of Russian and Chinese military aircraft into the Alaska zone, and it was the first sighting of Chinese H-6 bombers near Alaska.
Although located in international airspace, the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone is a buffer where aircraft are closely monitored for U.S. national security reasons. NORAD emphasized that the presence of these bombers was not perceived as a direct threat.
This recent encounter follows a series of similar military intercepts, including the detection of four Russian warplanes in February, another Russian aircraft in May 2023, and two occurrences in February where Russian warplanes were intercepted. Additionally, a Chinese espionage balloon was detected near Alaska in February before travelling across the U.S. and being eliminated off the South Carolina coast.
The Arctic region has witnessed increased military activities from the U.S., Canada, Russia, and China. Recently, Moscow deployed jets to intercept U.S. bombers near Russia’s Arctic border over the Barents Sea.
Russia continues to enhance its military presence in the Arctic, including testing advanced hypersonic missiles. Meanwhile, Canada announced plans to acquire new submarines designed for Arctic travel, and China has been expanding its submarine fleet capable of Arctic operations as noted by Canada’s defense ministry.
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- U.S. intercepts Russian, Chinese bombers off Alaskan coast (newsbreak.com)