Photo: Getty Images
Four Russian and Chinese bombers were intercepted by United States and Canadian fighter jets while flying in international airspace near Alaska on Wednesday (July 24), the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed in a statement obtained by ABC News.
NORAD said it "detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two PRC [Peoples Republic of China] H-6 military aircraft" which were located in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, marking the first time a Chinese military craft had been intercepted in the area. The organization said the Russian and Chinese bombers were intercepted by the U.S. and Canadian fighter jets, remaining in international airspace and not entering American or Canadian airspace.
U.S. territorial airspace and waters extend at a distance of 12 nautical miles from the Alaskan shoreline, while the international zone stretches 150 miles from the coastline and requires present foreign aircrafts to identify themselves. Russian bombers have commonly been intercepted while flying through the ADIZ, with recent incidents occurring in February and March.
Wednesday's incident was, however, the first in the specific zone and notably marked the first time a Chinese aircraft had been intercepted near Alaska. NORAD claimed that the Chinese bomber was "not seen as a threat" and vowed to continue monitoring activity near North American in order to "meet presence with presence."