US and Canadian fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian and Chinese nuclear capable strategic bombers as they commenced war games during President Joe Biden’s address to the nation.
The Russian Tu-95MS ‘Bear’ turboprop and Chinese H-6 jet were intercepted close to US state Alaska.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command detected and tracked the aircraft as they entered the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on Wednesday, the command said.
The bombers with fighter escorts were on a five hour joint patrol over the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean in a show of firepower by Moscow and Beijing amid unprecedented international tension.
It comes after Vladimir Putin staged nuclear war drills for the second time this month as he seeks to ramp up fears of the West in his population.
Russia and China staged joint drills with their nuclear-capable Tu-95MS and H-6 strategic bombers
American and Canadian fighter jets scrambled to see off the incoming planes hours before Joe Biden addressed the nation about his presidency
Footage released by Russia shows the drills with pilots at work inside the cockpit
The Moscow and Beijing bombers with fighter escorts were on a five hour joint patrol over the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean
Footage released by Russia shows the drills. NORAD clarified that the incident occurred on July 24 shortly before Joe Biden addressed the nation to confirm his decision not to challenge Donald Trump in the US election.
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‘NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian Tu-95 and two PRC H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ),’ the statement said.
The actions of the Russian and Chinese military aviation were not considered a threat, and the aircraft remained over international waters.
‘NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the intercept,’ the North American Aerospace Defense Authority explained.
The Chinese H-6 aircraft are licensed copies of the Soviet Tu-16 bombers.
A statement by the Russian Defence Ministry said: ‘A group of the Tu-95MSstrategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Hong-6K strategic bombers of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force conducted a joint air patrol over the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean.
‘The Russian and Chinese crews practiced cooperation while carrying out an air patrol mission in a new area.
‘The Su-30SM and Su-35S aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces provided fighter cover.’
President Joe Biden, in an Oval Office address, revealed why he decided to step down as the Democratic nominee
The Chinese H-6 aircraft are licensed copies of the Soviet Tu-16 bombers
The actions of the Russian and Chinese military aviation were not considered a threat
The Russian TU-95 ‘Bear’ turboprop strategic bombers (file photo) and Chinese H-6 jet bombers were spotted by North American Aerospace Defense Command
The Russians admitted that ‘at certain stages of the route, the air group was accompanied by fighter jets from foreign countries’. Moscow claimed the war games were ‘not directed against third countries’.
Such joint patrols by the Russian and Chinese bombers are not unprecedented.
However, they are a sign of the increasing cooperation between the autocratic and anti-Western regimes in China and Russia.
The Tu-95 fleet is an integral part of Russia’s nuclear armoury, but the planes have been also used to launch devastating conventional missile strikes causing large-scale destruction in Ukraine.
The Soviet-era Tu-95s first flew some 70 years ago but remain a mainstay of the Russian nuclear force.
The super noisy Tu-95s are the world’s only propeller-powered strategic bombers.
Tensions between the US and Russia are heightened amid the war in Ukraine and widening conflicts in the Middle East.
Defense experts warned global tensions have not been as intense since at least the 1970s.
Biden gave an 11-minute farewell address to the US on Wednesday night to explain why he abandoned his bid for reelection on Sunday.
The president said he chose to ‘pass the torch’ to Vice President Kamala Harris because it was time for ‘younger voices’ and he believed that would ‘unite’ the country and ‘save democracy’.