Provocations: Russian, Chinese Military Aircraft Intercepted Off Alaskan Coast

On Wednesday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected Russian and Chinese military aircraft in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ.) American and Canadian fighter aircraft intercepted the aircraft. 

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) on July 24, 2024. NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the intercept.

The Russian and PRC aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian and PRC activity in the Alaska ADIZ is not seen as a threat, and NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence.

The Russian Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO designation “Bear”) is a long-range turboprop bomber often used as a maritime patrol/reconnaissance aircraft in the TU-142 “Bear F” variant. The Bear is, in most variants, capable of carrying Kh-20 nuclear-tipped cruise missiles as well as anti-ship missiles.

The Chinese Xi’an H-6 is the Chinese version of the Russian Tu-16 Badger. Some variants of the H-6 have reportedly been modified to carry Silkworm anti-ship missiles.

Both aircraft are, by today’s standards, obsolete, but they can still do damage and are still useful in long-range maritime patrol roles.

And they are effective at poking the United States by trailing their coats down the Alaskan coast, which is becoming something of a habit for China and Russia alike.

See Related: Four Chinese Warships Spotted Off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands 

Is China Preparing a First Strike Against American Forces?

While the Russian and Chinese bombers entered the Air Defense Identification Zone, they were technically in international airspace.

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.

The NORAD report does not describe the American and Canadian aircraft that intercepted the intruders, but it’s important to note that the 90th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, just north of Anchorage, Alaska, is equipped with F-22 Raptor fighters.

Consider the timing of this.

While both Russia and China have been conducting these “freedom of navigation” exercises since the end of World War 2 (as has the United States), they seem to be picking up the pace lately. The political situation in the United States certainly isn’t deterring them, with a vacuum of leadership in Washington and a Commander-in-Chief who is effectively non-compos mentis. 

The vice president — who will presumably take on the role of Commander-in-Chief if the president is incapable, which may very well prove to be the case literally at any given moment — is, honestly, incapable of making any substantive decisions in military matters.

American politics are a mess at the moment. The president is impaired. The vice president is incapable. Military thinkers in Russia and China may very well be thinking of poking the American eagle just to see how we react.

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