Thursday, March 28, 2024

Chinese jet performs ‘unsafe’ intercept of U.S. military aircraft

A Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet performed an unsafe maneuver during an intercept of a U.S. Air Force surveillance plane, which was lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Public Affairs.

“The PLAN pilot flew an unsafe maneuver by flying in front of and within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the RC-135 to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision,” the message added.

The incident, which involved a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet and a U.S. air force RC-135 aircraft, took place on Dec. 21, the U.S. military said in a statement.

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“We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” it added.

The J-11 is a Chinese-made twin-engine, single-seat air superiority fighter, based on the Sukhoi Su-27’s design. It has a Western reporting name Flanker B+.

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Executive Editor

About author:

Colton Jones
Colton Jones
Colton Jones is the deputy editor of Defence Blog. He is a US-based journalist, writer and publisher who specializes in the defense industry in North America and Europe. He has written about emerging technology in military magazines and elsewhere. He is a former Air Force airmen and served at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

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