The only three countries in the world that fly heavy bombers all flew them in and around Alaska.In July, a joint Russian and Chinese bomber flight neared the Aleutian islands, projecting a message showing off their nuclear muscle.The next day, American B-52 bombers flew on their home turf in the skies above the 49th state.
There are only three countries in the whole world that fly heavy, nuclear-armed bombers: the United States, Russia, and China. In July, all three countries flew their bombers in or around the state of Alaska. The three bombers were all ordered to the Last Frontier State for different reasons, but a common goal: to flex the muscles of the country that controls them, and send a message to the other two.
Three Nations, Three BombersNORAD
A U.S. Air Force F-35A and F-16C escorting a Russian Tu-95MS bomber during the flight.
On July 24, 2024, the North American Defense Command (NORAD) stated that it had detected two Russian Tu-95 “Bear” heavy bombers in the Alaskan Air Defense Zone. The two bombers likely flew from Anadyr Air Base in the Russian Far East, a frequent jumping-off point for Russian aircraft flying across the North Pacific Bering Sea. One of the Bears, serial number RF-94186, has been involved in at least one previous flight near the Air Defense Zone.
Russian bombers have made a practice of circling near U.S. territory since the Cold War. This time, however, the bombers weren’t alone.
They were accompanied by two X’ian H-6KG bombers of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. One of the planes (top) photographed by NORAD is serial number 20013, which, according to the Air Force, is a H-6KG bomber of the Chinese Air Force’s 10th Bomber Division, 28th Air Regiment, based at Anqing Air Base, Anhui Province. A Japan-based think-tank reported that it spotted two PLAAF Y-20 heavy transport aircraft at Anadyr, suggesting that the transports carried maintenance personnel and equipment to allow the bombers to stage from the Russian base.
Related Story
Meanwhile, in mid-July, two B-52H Stratofortresses flew from their home at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, to Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska, to participate in Exercise Arctic Defender. The two planes, both from the 69th “Knighthawks” Bomb Squadron, were 60-012, “Heavy Hauler,” and 60-018, known as “POW/MIA.”
US Air Force
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratotanker from the 69th Bomb Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, N.D., takes off July 17, 2024 on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
All three bombers are subsonic, vintage designs dating back to the 1960s or earlier. The Russian Tu-95MS, Chinese H-6, and American B-52H are all non-stealthy designs incapable of penetrating modern air defenses and, as a result, have been relegated to the role of standoff missile carriers. All three are nuclear-capable, although the H-6’s capability is more theoretical, as there are no identified Chinese aircraft-carried nuclear weapons.
Also included in the flights were a handful of fighters from the U.S. and Russia. NORAD sent two Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs of 354th Fighter Wing from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, to intercept the Chinese and Russian bombers. Two F-16 Fighting Falcons also took off from Eielson, and two Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet fighters flew in from Cold Lake, Alberta. According to USNI News, Russian Su-30SM and Su-35S fighter jets accompanied the bombers for part of the distance, but do not appear in any NORAD photos.
A First for China
Anadolu//Getty Images
A Russian Ministry of Defense screen capture showing a Chinese H-6 bomber being escorted by a Russian Su-30SM fighter jet.
The Sino-Soviet flight was the first time Chinese bombers had flown near Alaska. It was also the first time Chinese and Russian bombers have flown together in formation near Alaska. Joint flights by bombers of the two countries is a relatively recent phenomenon, with a similar flight near Japan taking place in 2022.
Related Story
The aircraft flew in formation within 200 miles of the Alaskan mainland, putting the planes in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). An ADIZ is a large plot of airspace that a country believes is vital to its air defense, in which it monitors aerial traffic both entering and exiting. Both military and civilian aircraft are allowed to enter, since ADIZ typically extends into international airspace, although in some cases the controlling air force may require a flight plan. ADIZs are not internationally recognized and legally binding, unlike airspace. In other words, both the Chinese and Russian aircraft were within their right to conduct the flight.
The Alaska ADIZ is huge, including huge swathes of international airspace. It also adjoins Russian territory in the Bering Sea, where the two countries share a border. Under certain circumstances a Russian aircraft can fly just a few minutes outside of Russian airspace into international airspace and find itself in the Alaska ADIZ.
Motivations
Anadolu//Getty Images
A view from a Russian Tu-95MS bomber as it is being escorted by U.S. Air Force fighters. One of the Tu-95’s four turboprop engines is visible.
Russia has long flown bombers and other long-range aircraft into the American ADIZ. Tu-160 “Blackjack” and Tu-95MS “Bear” bombers have flown near US and NATO territory for training purposes, or to make a political point. In 2024, Tu-95s flew near Norway ahead of a NATO exercise, and a NATO spokesperson said more than twice as many bomber flights were counted in 2023 compared to 2020. The flights coincide with the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO, as well as NATO’s supplying of Ukraine with military equipment to beat back a Russian invasion. Russia cannot take direct action against NATO, so it signals its displeasure with flights of nuclear-capable bombers.
China has several reasons to participate in such a flight. The PLAAF lacks long-range flying experience, and the route into the Bering Sea is one of the few ways it can conduct a long-distance flight over water. China may want to conduct joint training to learn from Russian aircrews, who are well accomplished in flying long distances. It’s also retaliation for U.S. ships and aircraft transiting the South China Sea, which China unilaterally claims 90 percent of, claims that are not backed by international law. American forces also routinely fly over the Taiwan Strait, which China protests, claiming the strait is part of its “internal waters”.
Last month’s flight was a tit-for-tat by Russia and China, both of whom have their own political grievances with the U.S. It also makes clear that the two countries are working more closely than ever, though it doesn’t necessarily mean they intend to fight on the battlefield side by side any time soon. China and Russia both have large armies, nuclear weapons, and unsettled territorial disputes with one another. How much of this cooperation is because the two plan to work together, and how much is because each has the potential to become the other’s worst nightmare?
As the old saying goes, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he’s generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66bfa08f866e457189a82f68b43f558e&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popularmechanics.com%2Fmilitary%2Faviation%2Fa61767822%2Fwhy-russia-china-us-bombers-flying-in-alaska%2F&c=2765921598556904788&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-16 01:30:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
