Chinese and Russian bombers patrolling off Alaska raise concerns about growing military cooperation

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that Russian and Chinese bombers flying together (July 25, 2024) for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska is a new show of expanding military cooperation and it raises concerns. The flights were not seen as a threat, and the bombers were tracked and intercepted by U.S. and Canadian fighter jets. But it was the first time that Chinese bomber aircraft have flown within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. And it was the first time Chinese and Russian aircraft have taken off from the same base in northeast Russia.