U.S. military officials on Tuesday accused a Chinese fighter jet of flying too closely last week to an American reconnaissance jet over the South China Sea.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command officials described the May 26 intercept of an Air Force RC-135 in international airspace by a Chinese J-16 fighter jet as an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver.” The command accused the Chinese jet of flying too closely in front of the U.S. aircraft.
Handheld video of the intercept shot from inside the cockpit of the RC-135 showed the U.S. jet shaking violently moments after the Chinese fighter crossed directly in front of it.
It was not immediately clear Tuesday how close the two aircraft came to each other. A statement issued by Indo-Pacific Command said the incident occurred while the U.S. aircraft “was conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law.”
“The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Joint Force will continue to fly in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law,” the statement reads. “We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law.”
Tense intercepts between Chinese and U.S. aircraft over the South China Sea have occurred occasionally in recent years, especially as China has built up an increasingly large military presence in the region and claimed portions of the sea for itself.
In December, the Pentagon released video of a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet passing within just 10 feet of an RC-135 Rivet Joint over the South China Sea. In that incident, military officials said, the U.S. pilot was forced to take evasive maneuvers to keep from hitting the Chinese plane.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last year warned his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Wei Fenghe, that such aggressive incidents by China’s pilots over the South China Sea “increases the risk of an accident.”
A Chinese J-16 fighter pilot performed an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” May 26, 2023, during an intercept of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft, U.S. military officials said. (United States Indo-Pacific Command)
