A Chinese fighter jet performed “an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” in front of a U.S. reconnaissance plane in international airspace over the South China Sea last week, the U.S. military said, amid growing concerns over a mishap or accidental clash in the waterway.
The U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement released Wednesday that the incident had occurred when a Chinese J-16 fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Air Force RC-135 plane last Friday. A 30-second video clip accompanying the statement showed the Chinese fighter appearing to swerve in front of the U.S. plane and the RC-135’s cockpit shaking in the turbulence.
“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,” the statement said. “The RC-135 was conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law.”
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.