From ABC News
A People's Republic of China J-16 fighter pilot performs a maneuver during the intercept of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft over the South China Sea, May 26, 2023.© USAF
A Chinese J-16 jet fighter flew directly in front of an American surveillance plane flying in international airspace over the South China Sea last Friday, forcing the U.S. Air Force plane to fly through the fighter's wake turbulence and causing the U.S. aircraft to shake.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command labeled the Chinese intercept as "unprofessional" and "an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver" and released a video taken from inside the American plane's cockpit that captured the incident. "A People's Republic of China J-16 fighter pilot performed an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver during the intercept of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft, May 26, 2023," said a statement from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. |
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"The PRC pilot flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the U.S. aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence," said the statement. "The RC-135 was conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law."
The video released by INDOPACOM captured the moment that the Chinese fighter streaked across the American plane's flight path at what a U.S. official said was a distance of 400 feet. Taken from inside the RC-135's cockpit, presumably by a crew member, the video also captured the moment when the reconnaissance aircraft flew through the wake turbulence causing the aircraft to shake. |
American aircraft and ship transiting in the international airspace and waters in the South China Sea are routinely harassed by Chinese ships and aircraft. The American aircraft and warships transit through the region regularly to counter China's broad territorial maritime claims.
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