Joint China-Russia bomber patrol over East China Sea intercepted by US and Japanese fighters¶
The sortie included J-16 fighters escorting H-6K and Tu-95 strategic bombers.
Russia and China have conducted a large joint air patrol over the East China Sea, including fighters, strategic bombers, aerial tankers and other support aircraft.
The action on 27 June has been confirmed by both Beijing and Moscow, with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) describing the sortie as the 11th such joint strategic air patrol.
The PLA says the multinational operation demonstrates “shared determination and capability to safeguard regional peace and stability”, echoing language deployed by the United States around Washington’s military manoeuvres in the Western Pacific.
The timing of the latest Russian-Chinese patrol is likely not coincidental. Washington isin the midst ofits biennial Valiant Shield exercise, a series of military drills around the Western and South Pacific aimed at testing the ability of allied naval and air forces to project power.
China often launches its own military actions during or immediately following such exercises.
The bulk of the 27 June air patrol was comprised of Chinese aircraft from the PLA Air Force, according to tracking data from the Japanese and South Korean defence ministries. Tokyo confirms at least 15 aircraft were involved on the Russian and Chinese side.
These included six Shenyang J-16 fighters from the PLAAF escorting four Xian H-6K jet-powered bombers. Video footage released by Beijing indicates that one of the PLAAF’s four-engined Y-20 tankers provided in-flight refuelling support to the J-16s, while a Shaanxi Y-9JZ electronic intelligence platform was also present.
On the Russian side, Tokyo says at least one Sukhoi Su-30 was present, along with four long-range bombers, including two Tupolev Tu-95s and two Tu-142s.
Tracking data released by Tokyo says the formation rendezvoused over the Sea of Japan off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The group then moved south through the Korean Strait, passing in between the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Tsushima.
The flight then moved south toward Okinawa before hooking out toward the open Pacific and turning north back toward mainland Japan.
“In response to these, we scrambled fighter aircraft from the Western Air Defense Force of the Air Self-Defense Force and other units to intercept,” tJapan’s defence ministry says.
Although Tokyo has not revealed the specific aircraft sortied in response to the incursion, cockpit footage released by the Russian defence ministry shows two Boeing F-15s and two Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters in formation off the wings of the Russian bombers.
The F-35s bear the joint US military roundel and appear to be A-variant jets from the US Air Force. Washington has F-35 squadronspermanently stationedin Japan, in addition torotational forcesoffsetting the withdrawal of legacy F-15Cs retired from service. The F-15s appear to be Japanese J-variant jets.
Following the intercept, the Russian and Chinese aircraft flew together back along their original route before separating and returning to bases on mainland China and the Russian Far East.Subscribe to gain access to all newsAlready have a subscription?Log in.Choose your subscriptionConsidering a corporate subscription?Contact usto find out more.
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