Joint flights of the Russian and Chinese air forces in the Asia-Pacific region are aimed at testing the enemy’s reaction

Joint flights of Russian and Chinese Air Force aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region are carried out to test the reaction time of a potential enemy’s aircraft. The patrol tasks were named by The National Interest (NI) magazine.

At the end of June, a group of Russian and Chinese aircraft conducted a joint patrol. The group included Chinese H-6 strategic bombers, J-16 fighters, a Y-20 tanker, a KJ-500 “flying radar” and a Y-9 reconnaissance aircraft. On the Russian side, the Tu-95MS missile carriers, the Tu-142 anti-submarine carriers, the Il-78 tanker, as well as the Su-30 and Su-35S fighters were involved.

According to the publication, the joint flights demonstrate the level of military cooperation between Russia and China. They allow Moscow and Beijing to practice coordinating the actions of long-range aviation. “The patrol forces various militaries in the region to scramble interceptors and monitor activity. This could help both Beijing and Moscow become familiar with the response times of the United States, Japan and South Korea,” the material says.