On Wednesday, United States and Canadian fighter jets intercepted Russian and Chinese bomber aircraft in international airspace off the coast of Alaska. The Russian TU-95 and Chinese H-6 military aircraft were tracked and intercepted in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, but did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace and were not seen as a threat. The interceptions were carried out by U.S. F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jets.
This was the first time Russian and Chinese aircraft had operated together, which came just after U.S. officials expressed concern about growing cooperation between the two countries in the Arctic. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin clarified that the interceptions were closely monitored and tracked, and that this level of cooperation between Russia and China was unprecedented.
The ADIZ is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security. This incident follows a previous interception in July, when Russian aircraft intercepted U.S. Air Force B-52H bomber aircraft over the Barents Sea. Despite these encounters, the U.S. aircraft continued along their scheduled flight plan without incident.
Max Hauptman, a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY, can be reached at MHauptman@gannett.com for more information on this incident.
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