The United States and Canada scrambled fighter jets after two Russian and two Chinese military planes were tracked in the international airspace close to Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement.
"NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian Tu-95 and two PRC H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on July 24, 2024. NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the intercept," the statement said.
The "identification zone" is a stretch of international airspace that acts as a buffer zone where the U.S. and Canadian national airspace ends. All aircraft entering the ADIZ require identification for national security reasons, NORAD clarified.
The presence of the Russian and Chinese planes was not seen as a threat, since they remained in international airspace and did not violate U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD said, adding that it will "continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence."
Russia has long had a military presence in the North Pacific and intercepts of Russian planes are relatively common in the area. An intercept refers to visual or electronic contact by NORAD aircraft of foreign planes.
Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Russian and Chinese warplanes conducted a "joint patrol over the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea, and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean" and "worked out issues of interaction at all stages of air patrolling."
They "acted strictly in accordance with the provisions of international law" and there were "no violations of the airspace of foreign states," the ministry said.
China's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said the joint flight was "not aimed at a third party."
Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said the action "has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation," while it "tests and enhances the level of cooperation between the two air forces."
Russia and China have deepened their political, military, and economic cooperation since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Beijing's military has in recent years expanded its reach farther and farther away from continental China, with Chinese naval ships being detected in international waters near Alaska.
The U.S. Coast Guard earlier this month spotted four Chinese vessels in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, a 370-kilometer stretch of sea from the U.S. coast.
NORAD is a Colorado-based joint organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Canada and the continental United States.
"NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America," the statement said.