On the morning of November 29, Russian and Chinese fighter jets conducted the ninth joint strategic air patrol. According to the South Korean General Staff, five Chinese and six Russian bombers and fighters flew in the South Korean Air Defense Zone (KADIZ) over the Sea of Japan between 9:35 am and 1:53 pm.
Pictures from the Chinese news agency show, among other things, a Chinese Shenyang J-16 fighter, two Chinese Xian H-6N bombers and a Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS bomber.
The South Korean air force responded by launching interceptors to be prepared for possible incidents. However, no violation of South Korean airspace (intrusion into the 12-mile zone) was detected. The “joint strategic air patrols” conducted by Russia and China every six months or so since 2019 have already caused tensions in the past. In July of this year, one such patrol took place over the Bering Sea within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) monitored by NORAD, with US and Canadian interceptors accompanying the formation. In December 2023, 17 aircraft flew through the Korea Strait, the strait between Japan and Korea. https://militaeraktuell.at/neue-schutzausruestung-fuer-das-bundesheer/ While most countries announce planned exercises and flight routes in advance, the Russian-Chinese alliance deliberately refrains from doing so. Instead, its aircraft operate unannounced in the identification zones of other states. This approach requires the launch of interceptors, whose task is not only to identify the aircraft, but also to ensure smooth civil air traffic by providing missing signals such as ACAS (Airborne Collision Avoidance System) and ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast).
