The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted Chinese and Russian aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone.

The NORAD command stated that the incident occurred on July 24, 2024 in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone.

In this area, NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 bombers and two Chinese H-6 jet bombers.

The identification zone is an area of international airspace that acts as a buffer zone where the national airspace of the United States and Canada ends.

NORAD clarified that all aircraft entering this zone require identification for national security reasons.

The presence of Russian and Chinese aircraft was not seen as a threat, as they remained in international airspace and did not violate the sovereign airspace of the United States or Canada.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Russian and Chinese warplanes conducted “joint patrols over the Chukchi, Bering Seas and the North Pacific Ocean” and “worked out the issues of interaction at all stages of air patrols.”

The Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China, meanwhile, added that the joint flight “was not directed against a third party.”

NORAD is a joint organization of the United States and Canada based in Colorado that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for Canada and the continental United States.

To track and intercept aircraft, NORAD has deployed a multi-layered defense network consisting of fighter jets, satellites, and radars.

As previously reported, in 2021, the United States and Canada agreed to take steps to technically upgrade the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).