On October 24, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) confirmed that two Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets from the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) conducted a flight over the Sea of Japan, prompting the immediate scramble of Japanese fighters. According to the Joint Staff Office of the Self-Defense Forces, Japanese aircraft were deployed to monitor and closely track the Russian planes, which remained in international airspace without entering Japan’s sovereign airspace.
According to the statement, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces identified the Russian formation during its transit over international waters, within Japan’s airspace responsibility zone. Although there were no incursions into national airspace, authorities noted that it was a long-range operation similar to others conducted in recent months by the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in Northeast Asia.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported through the TASS news agency that the Tu-95MS bombers carried out a planned flight over neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, accompanied by Su-35S and Su-30SM fighters on a training mission lasting more than 11 hours. Moscow stated that the operation was conducted “in strict compliance with international norms regarding the use of airspace” and noted that, along certain segments of the route, the bombers were escorted by fighters from other countries.
The October 24 episode comes just two months after a similar operation on August 19, when Russian Tu-95MS bombers, escorted by Su-35S and Su-30SM fighters, conducted a six-hour patrol over neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, also prompting a scramble by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
It is also relevant to note that in recent months, Japan has intensified its aerial surveillance over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, where there has been an increase in joint flights by Russia and China. In 2024, both countries conducted several coordinated air patrols, leading the Japanese and South Korean Self-Defense Forces to carry out simultaneous interceptions.
The Tu-95MS is a long-range strategic bomber powered by four Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engines, capable of carrying Kh-55 and Kh-101 cruise missiles, both conventional and nuclear. It is one of the primary vectors of Russia’s long-range aviation (DA – Dalnaya Aviatsiya), the component responsible for strategic deterrence missions and air presence patrols over extensive maritime regions, including the Arctic, North Atlantic, Pacific, and the Black and Baltic Seas.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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AloJapan.com