New Details on China’s First Bomber Operation Near Alaska: F-35s, F-18s and F-16s Scrambled to Intercept

The Russian Defence Ministry on July 25 revealed new details regarding the first ever joint bomber patrols with Chinese forces near Alaska, during which a pair of China’s H-6 bombers joined Russian air units for an unprecedented show of force. "An air group of the Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the H-6K strategic bombers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force conducted a joint air patrol over the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. Russian and Chinese crews practiced cooperation while carrying out an air patrol mission in a new area. The Su-30SM and Su-35S aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces provided fighter cover.” Images released have shown H-6s being escorted by Russian Su-30SM fighters. Regarding the operations by U.S. and Canadian aircraft to intercept the bombers, the Defence Ministry elaborated: "Foreign fighter jets escorted the air group at certain stages of the route. While performing the mission, both countries’ aircraft acted in strict compliance with international law. There were no violations of other countries’ airspace.” The ministry added that the flights were “carried out as part of the 2024 military cooperation plan.”

Images released by the North American Aerospace Defence Command have confirmed that two H-6s and two Russian Tu-95s were intercepted and escorted by F-35, F-16 and Canadian F-18 fighters after the bombers entered Alaska’s Air Defence Identification Zone. While interceptions of Russian bombers in the area have been common, the introduction of Chinese bombers has the potential to place a new degree of pressure on local defences. The H-6 is the most widely used bomber class in the world with an estimated 270 in service. The H-6K variant is a heavily enhanced variant with new D-30 turbofan engined providing a much extended range, while modern composite materials, a glass cockpit and a modern sensor suite made it far more capable than prior variants. Newer variants introduced more recently include the H-6J, H-6M and H-6N.

Despite improvements to newer variants, the H-6 remains a much lighter aircraft than Russian and U.S. strategic bombers such as the Tu-95 or B-2, and is not optimised for intercontinental range operations. The significant expansion of the aerial refuelling fleet of YY-20 tankers, and the integration of longer ranged missiles including long range ballistic missiles, helps to mitigate this issue. Most significant, however, is the possibility that H-6 bombers could be based in Russia, even if temporarily to refuel, which would allow them to operate near Alaska without aerial refuelling. While Chinese and Russian joint air and naval operations have increased significantly over the past decade, the People's Liberation Army’s ability to contribute to joint bomber patrols is expected to be revolutionised near the end of the decade with the introduction of its first intercontinental range strategic bomber the H-20 stealth bomber.