South Korea's air defense identification zone suddenly sounded the alarm, and then the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force also sounded the alarm, and the US military on the first island chain also began to move. This was the movement of the Sino-Russian mixed formation when it was plunging directly into the Sea of Japan from the East China Sea, and the heavy fighters escorted strategic bombers and special planes swaggering through the Tsushima Strait.
On December 14, China and Russia conducted their seventh joint strategic air cruise. The joint strategic air patrol is part of the annual military cooperation plan between China and Russia, which aims to enhance the friendship between the two countries and the two militaries, deepen bilateral cooperation, and maintain peace and stability in the region and the world, and is not aimed at any third party. Some details of this joint strategic air cruise also show that the Sino-Russian joint strategic air cruise is still continuing to deepen cooperation, not only the frequency has been increased from the previous time to twice a year, but even the participating aircraft types are gradually enriched. In this way, the two sides can better cooperate and strengthen their ability to deal with emergencies and enhance deterrence.
(Russian Su-35S escort Tu-95MS, pay attention to the livery of this Su-35S, it comes from the Warrior Air Show Team)
The joint strategic air patrol conducted by the Chinese and Russian air forces is an important measure for comprehensively strengthening the strategic cooperative partnership between China and Russia in the new era, with the aim of strengthening the level of strategic cooperation and joint action capability of the two militaries. With the two countries under common strategic pressure, the two sides can take this as an opportunity to conduct joint actions to break the blockade and containment.
In 2019, China and Russia conducted the first joint strategic air patrol, and for the next two years, China and Russia conducted a joint strategic air patrol every year.
In 2022, the Sino-Russian joint strategic air patrol has entered a new stage, first of all, the frequency of patrols has increased, from one to two per year. There is also the deepening of cooperation, and by the end of 2022, the strategic bombers of the two sides will land at each other's airfields. The strategic bombers of the two sides are extremely sensitive to the strategic armament, so the strategic bombers of the two sides land at each other's airfields and then carry out rearmament, indicating that the strategic mutual trust between the two sides has reached an unprecedented height.
(The J-16 of the PLA Air Force carries the Thunderbolt-15 and Thunderbolt-10 live ammunition escort, and the atmosphere of actual combat is strong)
This is the seventh joint strategic air patrol of the Chinese and Russian air forces. Judging from relevant reports, there are new developments in this cruise, the most prominent feature of which is that the atmosphere of actual combat is stronger, the PLA Air Force J-16 fighters, the Russian Aerospace Forces Su-35S fighters are mounted with live ammunition for escort, as close to the actual combat as possible.
What is a little surprising is that the Su-35S fighter jets dispatched by Russia are from the Warrior Air Demonstration Team, and even the livery of the performance aircraft has not been changed. The Su-35S equipped by the Russian Warrior Performance Team is not a performance aircraft with castrated combat performance, but a standard fighter, and the Warrior Flight Show Team is also on combat readiness duty. Participating in the joint air strategic patrol this time also means that they will take the opportunity to train their troops.
(The PLA's J-16 provides escort for the Russian army's Tu-95MS)
In addition, the number of participating aircraft in this joint air strategic cruise has also increased significantly, not only Tu-95MS and H-6K strategic bombers, J-16 and Su-35S escort fighters, but also two more special aircraft. The Russian side sent a Tu-142M3 anti-submarine aircraft, and the identifying feature was a huge radome under the belly.
This Tu-142M3 anti-submarine aircraft belongs to the Russian Naval Aviation and comes from the independent anti-submarine group of the 7062nd "Lushun" Hongqi Naval Aviation Base of the Pacific Fleet, with the tactical number "Red 63". Although the Tu-142M3 is a large anti-submarine patrol aircraft, it also has electronic reconnaissance capabilities, and this time it accompanied the strategic bomber to carry out communications and electronic warfare support tasks.
(7062 Tu-63M3 anti-submarine aircraft of the Independent Anti-submarine Group of the Red Banner 142 "Lushun" HNA Base of the Pacific Fleet)
Corresponding to the Russian naval aviation is the PLA's Y-8 electronic warfare anti-aircraft from a certain unit of the Northern Theater of Operations. This Y-8 electronic fighter plane is equipped with a huge antenna array on the side of the fuselage, which can intercept extremely weak radio signals, collect electromagnetic intelligence of the opponent, judge the opponent's strategic/campaign deployment and situation accordingly, and analyze its strategic/campaign movements. These data can also be used to enrich the PLA's electromagnetic database and provide a basis for future operations and the development of electronic warfare equipment.
(The PLA Air Force dispatched the Y-8 high-tech engineering special aircraft)
The joint strategic air patrol between China and Russia spans the East China Sea, the Sea of Japan, and the western Pacific Ocean, involving the United States, Japan, South Korea, and other parties. These three countries will definitely turn on radar for monitoring and mobilize fighter jets for accompanying surveillance. For example, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force dispatched F-15J, F-2A and other fighter jets, during which a large number of electronic equipment was turned on, which gave the Y-8 electric warfare aircraft a good opportunity to show their skills. The PLA will be able to use the information obtained to determine the deployment of the United States, Japan, and South Korea in Northeast Asia and analyze their joint operational capabilities. This information can be described as precious to us, and it is an important reference for our future actions.
(The route map of the Sino-Russian joint cruise flight presumed by the Japanese side can be seen that China and Russia are responsible for escorting each other)
Looking ahead, Sino-Russian joint strategic air patrols will be held on a regular basis, and in the event of unexpected events, patrol missions may be temporarily increased. Such a long-term, long-range, and multi-sea patrol can test the combat capability of the troops, and the pilots and equipment can be better tempered in such a task, familiarize themselves with the predetermined battlefield, find out their weak links, and better make up for the shortcomings. It is conceivable that in the future, more types of aircraft will join the strategic cruise, and in addition to electronic warfare aircraft and maritime patrol aircraft, early warning aircraft and fifth-generation fighters with air refueling capabilities will gradually join the mission.
In addition, the Chinese and Russian joint air strategic patrol areas are located in the deep sea and the open ocean, and the naval and air combat systems of China and Russia in these areas are still under construction, including command and control, communication and navigation, and logistics support, and so on.
(All the planes participating in the strategic air patrol this time are from the PLA Air Force)
The fact that Chinese and Russian strategic bombers carry out such strategic patrols on a regular and irregular basis shows that China and Russia are able to maintain an air presence in some sensitive areas, and that they will be able to strike at each other's key targets at any time if necessary.