The air forces of China and Russia have conducted their ninth joint air patrol in the “relevant airspace” over the Sea of Japan, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
The air patrol was part of an annual cooperation plan between the two countries that has been in place since 2019.
CCTV reported that the purpose of the air patrol was to test and expand the joint operational and training capabilities of the two countries’ air forces.
South Korea’s military said it had scrambled its own fighter jets after 11 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered the country’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The aircraft remained in the zone for about four hours before departing without any incidents.
South Korea has protested China and Russia for conducting the joint air patrol without prior notification.
Countries require that any foreign military aircraft entering their ADIZ be identified for security reasons, according to reports by REL.
However, these zones are not considered sovereign airspace and often extend into the ADIZs of other countries.
In July, China and Russia conducted another joint air patrol using strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons near the U.S. state of Alaska, in the North Pacific and Arctic regions. This move prompted the United States and Canada to deploy their own fighter jets to intercept the foreign aircraft within their respective airspaces.
