Russia and China sent nuclear-capable bombers over the waters between Japan and South Korea, US treaty partners, on Friday for their ninth joint strategic air patrol.

Two American conventional bombers on Monday simulated dropping weapons over Finland, a NATO ally that borders Russia. For Japan and South Korea, the US is committed to using its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to support extended deterrence.

The Chinese Defense Ministry said the joint bomber patrol was conducted over the Sea of ​​Japan, also known as the East Sea in South Korea. It lies between the Japanese archipelago to the east, the Korean peninsula to the west and the Russian Far East region to the north. Newsweek has emailed the defense ministries of Russia and Japan seeking comment.

In a brief statement, the Chinese Air Force said the joint patrol, which was in line with the annual cooperation plan between the two nations’ militaries, was aimed at “effectively testing and improving” the joint training and operational capabilities of the Chinese and Russians. Air Force.

Chinese state media reported that this was the first time the country’s air force sent the H-6N, its first nuclear-capable refuelable air-to-air bomber, on a joint patrol with its Russian counterpart. At least one Russian bomber took part in this patrol. It was identified as a nuclear-capable Tu-95MS.

The previous case on July 25, the eighth joint strategic air patrol between Russia and China since 2019, involved Chinese H-6K conventional bombers and Russian Tu-95MS nuclear bombers flying in formation over the Bering Sea off the US coast of Alaska .

Russia and China are among nine countries that have nuclear weapons. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said Russia has 4,380 nuclear warheads in its military inventory, which is the largest in the world. It is estimated that China has 500 nuclear weapons in its arsenal.

The South Korean military also confirmed on Friday that six Russian and five Chinese military aircraft had entered the country’s air defense zone, prompting the country to fire fighter jets.

An ADIZ begins where a country’s sovereign airspace ends. This is a demarcated section of international airspace that requires the clear identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security. The USA, South Korea and Japan as well as China and Taiwan have established air defense zones.

The South Korean military said the Russian planes flew into the country’s ADIZ as they approached from the northeast over the East Sea. The Chinese aircraft entered the air defense zone off the southern coast of South Korea and simultaneously flew north towards the East Sea.

The Russian and Chinese planes then flew in formation south of Dokdo, a group of South Korean islands in the East Sea claimed by Japan as Takeshima. None of those planes, now back in their respective countries, violated South Korean airspace, the Seoul military added.