Australia’s Defense Ministry on Sunday claimed that a Chinese fighter jet’s aggressive manoeuvres endangered an Australian reconnaissance plane near the South China Sea.
The Chinese J-16 fighter jet ‘chaffed’ Australian Australian P-8 plane near the South China Sea, while it was on a routine surveillance mission in international airspace last month before releasing flares and chaff that entered at least one of the Australian aircraft’s engines, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said, reported CNN.
Military planes usually release chaff — typically tiny strips of aluminum or zinc — as a deliberate countermeasure to confuse missiles, but can also use it to sabotage pursuing aircraft.
In a statement, Australia’s Defense Ministry described the encounter as “a dangerous manoeuvre which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew.”
“The J-16 aircraft flew very close to the side of the P-8 … in flying close to the side, it released flares,” Marles told Australia’s 9News in a televised interview.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government had raised the issue with Beijing, reported CNN.
“This was not safe, what occurred, and we’ve made appropriate representations to the Chinese government expressing our concern,” Albanese said.
This is the second time in a week that Chinese aircraft have been accused of endangering the reconnaissance flights of other militaries, reported CNN.
On Wednesday, Canada said Chinese warplanes buzzed its reconnaissance aircraft enforcing United Nations sanctions on North Korea.
