ANALYSIS – For those who aren't paying attention or not reading American Liberty Defense News, China and Russia keep deepening and integrating their defense and military ties.
Sending a message to the West, Chinese and Russian long-range bombers just conducted “joint patrols” over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea on Wednesday.
The combined bomber missions from America's two biggest adversaries also included Russian and Chinese aircraft landing on each other's airfields, a first for this type of exercise.
According to one source, the eight-hour-long patrols consisted of Russian Tu-95MS and Chinese H-6K bombers, escorted by Russian Su-35S and Su-30SM jets fighters.
While the designs of both of these aircraft dates back to the early years of the Cold War, like the U.S. B-52 bomber, they have been successively upgraded.
The latest versions are armed with a range of advanced air-launched cruise missiles.
During the Sino-Russo air operation, South Korean and Japanese fighter jets were scrambled in response. The Japanese Ministry of Defense said its fighters met two Chinese bombers as they flew from the East China Sea into the Sea of Japan.
The Drive noted:
“At some stages of the route the strategic missile carriers were accompanied by foreign fighters,” Russia's defense ministry added, apparently in reference to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) fighters, including F-15K Slam Eagles, that were scrambled in response. South Korea's military said that these jets were launched after two Chinese and six Russian military aircraft entered its air defense zone.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that two PLAAF H-6s “repeatedly entered and left” the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) off the country's southern and northeast coasts, beginning at around 5:48 AM local time, this morning. The Chinese bombers initially entered from an area 78 miles northwest of Leo Islet, a submerged rock and ocean research center south of the southern island of Jeju, before leaving the KADIZ at 6:13 AM.
Jet fighters from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force were also scrambled in response. The Japanese Ministry of Defense said its fighters intercepted the two Chinese bombers as they flew from the East China Sea, passing through the Tsushima Strait, into the Sea of Japan.
The Drive also reported:
At least some of the Russian aircraft involved landed at an undisclosed Chinese airbase, reportedly in Zhejiang Province, as evidenced by multiple videos showing Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) Tu-95MS Bear-Hs over China. Clearly, the distinctive drone of the bomber's huge turboprops captured the attention of many observers.
It's unconfirmed whether the Russian aircraft were refueled at the Chinese base, but that seems likely, and they later returned to their home stations. Chinese aircraft reciprocated, making visits to an airfield in Russia. Regardless, this may well have been the first time ever that Tu-95 bombers have visited China, although Chinese bombers have previously deployed to Russia for exercises in that country.
Meanwhile, an official video from the Russian Ministry of Defense shows the Tu-95MS bombers departing Ukrainka Air Base, in the Amur Oblast of Russia's Far East, although it's unclear if this is the same airfield that the PLAAF bombers visited.
The Drive adds:
While the Tu-95MS is familiar as one of the key nuclear-capable assets within Russian Long-Range Aviation, the nuclear status of the H-6K is a little less clear. The Pentagon's latest report on the Chinese military describes the similar, but newer, H-6N variant as Beijing's “first nuclear-capable air-to-air refuelable bomber.”
See below video of similar Sino-Russo joint bomber patrol in 2020.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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