Chinese Jets Intercept U.S. Military Aircraft in East China Sea

by Dramelin 8:30 PM 0 comments

Two Chinese SU-30 fighter jets intercepted an American military aircraft over the East China Sea on Tuesday, according to the U.
“The interaction was considered unprofessional due to the maneuvers of the Chinese pilots and the speed,” Lieutenant Colonel Lori Hodge, spokesperson for Pacific Air Forces Command in Honolulu, said by phone.
She didn’t give further information on the exact maneuvers carried out by the Chinese jets.
The Air Force is discussing the event via the military maritime consultative agreement meeting and diplomatic channels, Hodge said.
CNN reported earlier that the jets came within 150 feet of a U.
Air Force plane flying over the Yellow Sea, with one of the fighters flying upside down directly over the American plane.
and Chinese militaries have taken steps to reduce tense encounters between warships and fighter jets in recent years even as they disagree over where they can operate.
opposes China’s territorial claims in the region, and routinely asserts its right to fly or sail in areas it considers international seas or airspace.
The intercepted aircraft was a WC-135, which is designed to collect information on radiation in the atmosphere to detect nuclear explosions.
Both China and the U.
have been in talks about ways to curb the nuclear weapons development program in North Korea, which is in the vicinity.
In February, the U.
’s Pacific Command reported an “unsafe” encounter between surveillance planes from the two sides near the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
Chinese state media said the Chinese pilots took legitimate and professional measures.