Norad says it has intercepted Chinese, Russian aircraft near Alaskan airspace

OTTAWA — Norad says Canadian and American fighter jets have intercepted a group of Russian and Chinese planes flying near Alaska.

The North American Aerospace Defence Command says the planes were detected and tracked on Wednesday.

The planes stayed in international airspace and their activity is not seen as a threat.

U.S. officials say it’s the first time Norad has intercepted aircraft from the two countries together.

Military leaders in Canada have been warning that Russia and China are becoming increasingly competitive in the Arctic.

Arctic defence is the focus of Canada’s new defence policy and the U.S. recently issued an Arctic strategy of its own.

“Norad will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence,” Norad said in a news release on Thursday.

The planes were detected in the Alaska Air Defence Identification Zone, an area beyond U.S. and Canadian sovereign airspace. Norad says both countries require aircraft in that zone to be identified for national security reasons.

China and Russia confirmed Thursday that they had conducted a joint air patrol over the Bering Sea, which divides Russia and Alaska.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the joint patrol also flew over the Chukchi Sea, which is on the north side of the Bering Strait.

Russian fighter jets and strategic bombers were joined by Chinese strategic bombers in the exercises, which lasted more than five hours, the ministry said.

The joint patrol tested and improved co-ordination between the two air forces, said Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China’s Defence Ministry. He said it was the eighth joint strategic air patrol since 2019. He declined to comment when asked if it was the first such patrol over the Bering Sea.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press

The Canadian Press