B-52's challenge Chicom air space claims

The Hill:

A pair of American B-52 bombers flew unannounced into a recently established Chinese no-fly zone in the East China Sea, in a direct rebuke of Beijing's asserted authority over the area.

The bombers, based out of Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, entered the contested airspace as part of a training operation dubbed Coal Lightening, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The aircraft were unarmed and were not escorted by American fighter jets, a defense official told the Journal.

"The planes flew a pattern that included passing through the [Air Defense Identification Zone]," the official said.

"The flight was without incident," the official added.

A majority of American operations flown in the area consist of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and large-scale training missions with U.S allies.

But during the mission, the U.S. aircraft did not comply with the new air restrictions set by China as part of the no-fly zone.
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It would be interesting to know if their were some F--'s hovering nearby in order to defend these ancient bombers.   They couldn't just send F-22's because the Chinese presumably would not know they were being tested because of the stealth characteristics of the aircraft.