Russia and China conducted a joint strategic air patrol on Friday, deploying nuclear-capable bombers over the waters between Japan and South Korea, both U.S. treaty allies. This marks the ninth such patrol since 2019.
On Monday, two U.S. conventional bombers simulated weapon releases over Finland, a NATO ally bordering Russia. The U.S. has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Japan and South Korea with its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear options, as part of extended deterrence efforts.
The Chinese Defense Ministry stated that the patrol took place over the Sea of Japan—referred to as the East Sea in South Korea—bounded by the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula, and Russia's Far East. According to the ministry, the exercise aimed to "effectively test and enhance" joint training and operational readiness of the two countries' air forces. This operation included China’s H-6N bomber, the nation's first nuclear-capable aircraft with air-to-air refueling capability, and Russia’s Tu-95MS bomber.
In a similar operation on July 25, the eighth joint patrol featured China’s H-6K conventional bombers and Russia’s Tu-95MS bombers flying over the Bering Sea near Alaska. Both nations are among the nine countries equipped with nuclear weapons. Russia, with 4,380 warheads, holds the world's largest stockpile, while China is estimated to have 500 nuclear warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
On Friday, South Korea reported that six Russian and five Chinese military aircraft entered its air defense identification zone (ADIZ), prompting the scramble of fighter jets. An ADIZ is a designated stretch of international airspace where identification of all aircraft is required for national security purposes. While these zones are not sovereign airspace, they are critical for monitoring potential threats.
The intrusions were brief, with Russian aircraft approaching from the northeast and Chinese aircraft transiting from the south, both converging over the East Sea. The patrol continued south of Dokdo, a group of islets claimed by both South Korea and Japan (where they are called Takeshima). None of the aircraft violated South Korean airspace, according to Seoul’s military.
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