Chinese Jet Threatened U.S. Intelligence Aircraft

[Ryan Ruck]

Chinese Jet Threatened U.S. Intelligence Aircraft

Su-27 flew within 50 feet of new P-8 anti-submarine warfare jet near Japan

August 21, 2014
By Bill Gertz

A Chinese jet fighter flew dangerously close to a U.S. Navy P-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft near Japan this week in an encounter that highlights China’s continued aggressiveness in the region.

The P-8, a new, militarized Boeing-737 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, was conducting routine surveillance of the Chinese coast over the East China Sea on Monday when the incident occurred, said U.S. defense officials familiar with reports of the encounter.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeffrey Pool had no immediate comment but said he would provide “an explanation of the event” on Friday.

The defense officials said the Chinese Su-27 interceptor jet flew within 50 feet of the P-8 and then carried out a barrel roll over the top of the aircraft—a move described by officials as dangerous and meant to threaten the surveillance aircraft.

It was the second threatening encounter of a U.S. surveillance aircraft this year. In April, a Russian Su-27 flew within 100 feet of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft during another dangerous intercept over waters north of Japan.

One defense official said the Pentagon’s failure to produce a tough response to the April event likely spurred the Chinese to conduct the similar threatening intercept on Monday.

Chinese military officials have said they oppose all U.S. electronic surveillance flights and described ship-based monitoring of their facilities and territory an encroachment of sovereignty. U.S. military officials have said the monitoring is carried within international airspace and thus does not violate international or Chinese law.

The Chinese attempt at aerial intimidation comes amid unprecedented Chinese military exercises held recently and currently underway in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea.

On Monday, Chinese air force and navy jets conducted combat simulation drills in the East China Sea—a possible target of the P-8’s monitoring.

China also is holding international military exercises in Inner Mongolia with Russia and several Central Asia states that are part of the Beijing-led anti-U.S. alliance known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The P-8 that was intercepted by the Su-27 is part of the Navy’s first squadron of new sub hunters deployed to Asia. Six P-8s, that can fire both missiles and torpedoes, are under the command Navy’s Seventh Fleet and are based at Okinawa’s Kadena Air Base. They support the fleet’s maritime surveillance operations as part of the U.S. pivot to Asia.

The P-8s were deployed in December—a month after China declared an air defense identification zone over the East China that encroaches on both Japanese and South Korean maritime zones. The U.S. government said it does not recognize the Chinese defense zone. China has threatened to use force to maintain its control over the area covering most of the East China Sea.

The Navy has described the P-8 as “the most advanced long range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft in the world.” The jet also conducts maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

The U.S.-China close encounter also is a setback for Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, who has been leading Obama administration efforts to develop closer relations with the Chinese military.

Locklear has sought to play down the growing military threat from China as part of efforts to develop closer cooperation with the Chinese military.

The commander’s dovish policies are being opposed by some in the Pentagon and Air Force who are concerned that the conciliatory approach will appease the Chinese at a time when Beijing has made aggressive territorial claims in the East China Sea and South China Seas.

Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst, said increased U.S. surveillance flights near China are part of the United States’ strategy of responding to China’s aggressive imposition of controls in disputed maritime regions.

“In response, China is applying the same aggressive flying intimidation tactics to U.S. surveillance aircraft that it is using on Japanese surveillance aircraft,” said Fisher, a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

Chinese warplanes conducted similar close intercepts to Japanese P-3 aircraft in May and June, flying within 50 feet of the aircraft, Fisher said.

“The U.S. needs to consider a stronger response and make clear to China that unprovoked deadly aggression will result in an allied military response,” Fisher said.

The latest Chinese aerial assertiveness should prompt the United States to conduct mount joint fighter escorts with Japan’s military for surveillance aircraft, he said. Additionally, the Pentagon should increase the number of U.S. fighters deployed to Okinawa, and to request that the Philippines permit the stationing of a wing of fighters at Philippine air bases, as well as boost U.S. military assistance to the Manila government.

Fisher said the Chinese objective with the aggressive aerial encounters is to “make U.S. political leaders fear another ‘April 1’ incident.”

In April 2001, a Chinese F-8 interceptor crashed into a U.S. EP-3 surveillance aircraft off the southern China coast, causing the J-8 to crash and nearly causing the crash of the EP-3.

That encounter set off an international crisis after the propeller-driven U.S. aircraft made an emergency landing on China’s Hainan Island and the 24 crew members were imprisoned for 10 days.

“This kind of intimidation is intended to make White House officials fear a larger incident with China and to ‘stand down’ American surveillance flights,” Fisher said. “Beijing is hoping to take advantage of the distraction of these U.S. officials by multiple crises in Iraq and the Ukraine to push the Americans out of maritime regions in Asia that China is seeking to dominate.”

Until Monday’s encounter, China had been operating its intercepts in a more careful manner, defense officials said, describing most past encounters as “professional.”

The U.S. military has sought to engage China in talks on maritime rules of engagement and a code of conduct aimed at preventing such close encounters with limited success.

In the RC-135 encounter, the U.S. electronic surveillance aircraft was flying near the Russian Far East coast north of Japan on April 23 when an the Russian Su-27 intercepted the jet.

During that encounter, the Russian warplane rolled sideways to reveal its air-to-air missiles and then flew within 100 feet of the RC-135 cockpit. The incident was video recorded by the crew but the Pentagon declined to release the video.

The Pentagon protested the Russian encounter with officials in Moscow. However, no additional steps were taken to warn the Russians about further dangerous intercepts.

Fisher said U.S. P-8s have flown surveillance missions over the South China Sea, where China has been engaged in aggressive naval and coast guard tactics against Vietnam and Philippines over competing maritime claims.

“If such patrols are over shallower waters near to China, another ‘controlled crash’ into the P-8 could also be part of a Chinese intelligence operation to capture the latest U.S. Navy anti-submarine and patrol aircraft,” he said.

“China is just now testing its first long range anti-submarine aircraft based on the turboprop powered Y-9 transport,” he added. “Gaining insights into the twin-turbofan powered P-8 may accelerate a likely Chinese program to make an ASW/maritime patrol version of its twin-turbofan C-919 regional airliner.”

[American Patriot]

I wonder why we don't escort those planes suddenly....

[American Patriot]

Pentagon Reports ‘Dangerous’ Intercept By Chinese Jet

.

A U.S. Navy plane P-8 Poseidon takes off from Perth Airport in Perth, Australia, Sunday, April 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

By ROBERT BURNS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Friday accused a Chinese fighter jet of conducting a “dangerous intercept” of a U.S. Navy aircraft off the coast of China in international airspace.
The Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said Washington protested to the Chinese military through diplomatic channels, calling the fighter pilot’s actions “unsafe and unprofessional.”
Kirby said it happened Aug. 19.
He said the maneuvering by the Chinese jet posed a risk to the safety of the U.S. air crew, was “inconsistent with customary international law,” and complicates efforts to improve military-to-military relations, which are often strained.
Kirby said the Chinese jet made several close passes by the Navy P-8 Poseidon plane, coming within 30 feet of it at one point. He said the Chinese jet did a “barrel roll” maneuver over the top of the Poseidon at one point and also passed across the nose of the Navy plane, exposing the belly of the fighter in a way apparently designed to show that it was armed.
Kirby said it happened about 135 miles east of China’s Hainan Island. In 2001 a Chinese jet collided with a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft off Hainan Island, killing the Chinese pilot and forcing the Navy plane to make an emergency landing on the island.
The Navy’s P-8 Poseidon aircraft are designed for long-range missions including intelligence collection and reconnaissance.

[American Patriot]

Pentagon spokesman: Aggressive Chinese fighter jet came dangerously close to U.S. Navy plane

Posted 10:54 AM, August 22, 2014, by Q13 FOX News Staff, Updated at 11:00am, August 22, 2014

Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby. Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images



(CNN) — A Chinese fighter jet made several “dangerous” and “unprofessional” passes — one as close as 20 feet — at a U.S. Navy plane this week, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said Friday.


The incident occurred Tuesday in international air space in the South China Sea about 135 miles east of Hainan Island, Kirby told reporters.


He described a flamboyant approach by what he called an armed Chinese fighter jet that three times crossed beneath the Navy Poseidon patrol aircraft with “only 100 feet of separation,” Kirby said.


“The Chinese jet also passed the nose of the P-8 at 90 degrees with its belly towards the P-8 Poseidon, we believe to make a point of showing its weapons load,” he said.


It then “flew directly under and alongside the P-8, bringing their wing tips to within 20 feet, and then conducted a roll … over the P-8, passing within 45 feet,” he added.


Sounding exasperated, he called the maneuvers by the Chinese jet “pretty aggressive, very unprofessional.”


“We’ve registered our concern very strongly through official diplomatic channels with the Chinese,” Kirby said. “This kind of behavior not only is unprofessional, it’s unsafe … and it is certainly not in keeping with the kind of military-to-military” relations sought with China.



CNN’s Jamie Crawford contributed to this report.

[American Patriot]

Pentagon says Chinese Jet Carried Out ‘Aggressive’ and ‘Dangerous’ Intercept of Navy Intelligence Jet

.

Chinese SU-27 fighter plane / AP file photo
Su-27 flew within 20 feet of P-8 anti-submarine warfare jet in South China Sea
By Bill Gertz


The Pentagon on Friday called a Chinese jet’s encounter with a U.S. anti-submarine warfare aircraft an “aggressive” and “dangerous” act and said it has protested the action with Beijing.


Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters that the incident took place Tuesday in international airspace.


“We have registered our strong concerns to the Chinese about the unsafe and unprofessional intercept, which posed a risk to the safety and the well-being of the air crew and was inconsistent with customary international law,” Kirby said, adding that the incident was “very, very close, very dangerous.”


ii
A U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft takes off from Perth International Airport during the search for Malaysia Airlines MH370. The same general type of aircraft was involved in a “dangerous intercept” by a Chinese fighter jet earlier this week off Hainan island. Reuters/Landov




“Also—and we’ve made this clear—that it undermines efforts to continue developing military-to-military relations with the Chinese military.”


Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeff Pool said the aerial incident took place 135 miles east of Hainan Island when a Chinese J-11, a version of the Russian Su-27, came within 20 feet of a U.S. Navy P-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft.


“The intercept was aggressive and demonstrated a lack of due regard for the safety and well-being of the U.S. and Chinese aircrews and aircraft,” Pool said in a statement, noting it was one of the most dangerous aerial encounters with the Chinese since the April 2001 EP-3 mid-air collision with a Chinese J-8.


Pool called the encounter with the armed Chinese fighter “a dangerous intercept of a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon that was on a routine mission.”




This is the Chinese J-11 plane accused of “dangerous” operations. — Photographed by the crew of a U.S. P-8A Poseidon. U.S. Navy


“On three different occasions, the Chinese J-11 crossed directly under the U.S. aircraft with one pass having only 50 to 100 feet separation between the two aircraft,” the spokesman said.


“The Chinese jet also passed the nose of the P-8 at 90 degrees with its belly toward the P-8 to show its weapons loadout,” he added.


“In doing so, the pilot was unable to see the P-8, further increasing the potential for a collision,” Pool said. “The Chinese pilot then flew directly under and alongside the P-8 bringing their wingtips within 20 feet and then before he stabilized his fighter he conducted a roll over the P-8 passing within 45 feet.”


According to the Pentagon, the latest encounter is part of a rising trend of “nonstandard, unprofessional and unsafe intercepts of US aircraft” that began in late 2013.


The Chinese jet originated from the same PLA air force unit in Hainan that was responsible for other close intercepts in March, April and May, Pool said.


“We are concerned that the intercepting crews from that unit are acting aggressively and demonstrating a lack of regard for the regard for the safety of our aircrews,” he said. “We have raised our concerns over this unsafe behavior to the PRC.”


At Martha’s Vineyard, where President Obama is vacationing, Deputy White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes also criticized the Chinese for the incident that he described as a “provocation.”
“It’s obviously a deeply concerning provocation, and we have communicated directly to the Chinese government our objection to this type of action,” Rhodes said.


The incident could further complicate efforts to develop closer military relations. “What we’ve encouraged is constructive military-to-military ties with China, and this type of action clearly violates the spirit of that engagement, and we’ve made our concerns known directly to Beijing,” Rhodes said.


Defense officials said the latest encounter highlights China’s continued aggressiveness in the region.


The P-8, a new, militarized Boeing-737 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, was conducting routine surveillance of the Chinese coast over the South China Sea, not the East China Sea as initially reported by the Free Beacon.


Other defense officials said the Chinese Su-27 interceptor carried out a barrel roll over the top of the aircraft—a move described by officials as dangerous and meant to threaten the surveillance aircraft.


It was the second threatening encounter of a U.S. surveillance aircraft this year. In April, a Russian Su-27 flew within 100 feet of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft during another dangerous intercept over waters north of Japan.


One defense official said the Pentagon’s failure to produce a tough response to the April event likely spurred the Chinese to conduct the similar threatening intercept on Monday.


Chinese military officials have said they oppose all U.S. electronic surveillance flights and described ship-based monitoring of their facilities and territory an encroachment of sovereignty. U.S. military officials have said the monitoring is carried within international airspace and thus does not violate international or Chinese law.


The Chinese attempt at aerial intimidation comes amid unprecedented Chinese military exercises held recently and currently underway in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea.


On Monday, Chinese air force and navy jets conducted combat simulation drills in the East China Sea—a possible target of the P-8’s monitoring.


China also is holding international military exercises in Inner Mongolia with Russia and several Central Asia states that are part of the Beijing-led anti-U.S. alliance known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.


The P-8 that was intercepted by the Su-27 is part of the Navy’s first squadron of new sub hunters deployed to Asia. Six P-8s, that can fire both missiles and torpedoes, are under the command Navy’s Seventh Fleet and are based at Okinawa’s Kadena Air Base. They support the fleet’s maritime surveillance operations as part of the U.S. pivot to Asia.


The P-8s were deployed in December—a month after China declared an air defense identification zone over the East China that encroaches on both Japanese and South Korean maritime zones. The U.S. government said it does not recognize the Chinese defense zone. China has threatened to use force to maintain its control over the area covering most of the East China Sea.


The Navy has described the P-8 as “the most advanced long range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft in the world.” The jet also conducts maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.


The U.S.-China close encounter also is a setback for Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, who has been leading Obama administration efforts to develop closer relations with the Chinese military.


Locklear has sought to play down the growing military threat from China as part of efforts to develop closer cooperation with the Chinese military.


The commander’s dovish policies are being opposed by some in the Pentagon and Air Force who are concerned that the conciliatory approach will appease the Chinese at a time when Beijing has made aggressive territorial claims in the East China Sea and South China Seas.


Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst, said increased U.S. surveillance flights near China are part of the United States’ strategy of responding to China’s aggressive imposition of controls in disputed maritime regions.


“In response, China is applying the same aggressive flying intimidation tactics to U.S. surveillance aircraft that it is using on Japanese surveillance aircraft,” said Fisher, a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.


Chinese warplanes conducted similar close intercepts to Japanese P-3 aircraft in May and June, flying within 50 feet of the aircraft, Fisher said.


“The U.S. needs to consider a stronger response and make clear to China that unprovoked deadly aggression will result in an allied military response,” Fisher said.


The latest Chinese aerial assertiveness should prompt the United States to conduct mount joint fighter escorts with Japan’s military for surveillance aircraft, he said.

Additionally, the Pentagon should increase the number of U.S. fighters deployed to Okinawa, and to request that the Philippines permit the stationing of a wing of fighters at Philippine air bases, as well as boost U.S. military assistance to the Manila government.


Fisher said the Chinese objective with the aggressive aerial encounters is to “make U.S. political leaders fear another ‘April 1’ incident.”


In April 2001, a Chinese F-8 interceptor crashed into a U.S. EP-3 surveillance aircraft off the southern China coast, causing the J-8 to crash and nearly causing the crash of the EP-3.


That encounter set off an international crisis after the propeller-driven U.S. aircraft made an emergency landing on China’s Hainan Island and the 24 crew members were imprisoned for 10 days.


“This kind of intimidation is intended to make White House officials fear a larger incident with China and to ‘stand down’ American surveillance flights,” Fisher said. “Beijing is hoping to take advantage of the distraction of these U.S. officials by multiple crises in Iraq and the Ukraine to push the Americans out of maritime regions in Asia that China is seeking to dominate.”


Until Monday’s encounter, China had been operating its intercepts in a more careful manner, defense officials said, describing most past encounters as “professional.”
The U.S. military has sought to engage China in talks on maritime rules of engagement and a code of conduct aimed at preventing such close encounters with limited success.


In the RC-135 encounter, the U.S. electronic surveillance aircraft was flying near the Russian Far East coast north of Japan on April 23 when an the Russian Su-27 intercepted the jet.


During that encounter, the Russian warplane rolled sideways to reveal its air-to-air missiles and then flew within 100 feet of the RC-135 cockpit. The incident was video recorded by the crew but the Pentagon declined to release the video.


The Pentagon protested the Russian encounter with officials in Moscow. However, no additional steps were taken to warn the Russians about further dangerous intercepts.
Fisher said U.S. P-8s have flown surveillance missions over the South China Sea, where China has been engaged in aggressive naval and coast guard tactics against Vietnam and Philippines over competing maritime claims.


“If such patrols are over shallower waters near to China, another ‘controlled crash’ into the P-8 could also be part of a Chinese intelligence operation to capture the latest U.S. Navy anti-submarine and patrol aircraft,” he said.


“China is just now testing its first long range anti-submarine aircraft based on the turboprop powered Y-9 transport,” he added. “Gaining insights into the twin-turbofan powered P-8 may accelerate a likely Chinese program to make an ASW/maritime patrol version of its twin-turbofan C-919 regional airliner.”


Update: This story and headlines have been updated with a statement from the Pentagon.
.

A U.S. Navy plane P-8 Poseidon takes off from Perth Airport in Perth, Australia, Sunday, April 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

[Ryan Ruck]

China Rejects U.S. Criticism Over Jet Encounter

August 23, 2014

China on Saturday called US criticism of an approach by one of its jets to a US Navy patrol plane off the Chinese coast earlier this week "completely groundless" and said its pilot had maintained a safe distance from the US aircraft.

The strongly-worded statement attributed to Ministry of National Defense spokesman Yang Yujun was a response to a diplomatic complaint the Pentagon filed with Beijing on Friday.

The complaint concerned an August 19 encounter about 215 km (135 miles) east of China's Hainan Island in which a Chinese fighter jet came within meters (yards) of a US P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine and reconnaissance plane and, the US claimed, performed acrobatic maneuvers around it.

In its statement, the Chinese defense ministry said the J-11 jet was conducting routine checks and described the pilot's actions as professional.

The United States' frequent short-range reconnaissance missions threatened the safety of both militaries, it said.

It urged the US to reduce short-range reconnaissance against China and to respect international law and conventions.

[Ryan Ruck]

U.S. Sends Second Carrier to Asia Amid Tensions with China

August 23, 2014
By Bill Gertz

The Navy is sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Asia Pacific region amid new tensions with China over a dangerous aerial encounter between a Chinese interceptor and Navy P-8 surveillance craft.

The strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson departed San Diego for the Pacific on Friday, the Navy said in an announcement of what it terms a “planned” deployment.

China’s military on Saturday, meanwhile, demanded an end to all U.S. monitoring flights and called U.S. criticism of dangerous Chinese jet maneuvers false.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said in a statement that a Chinese fighter jet made a “regular identification and verification” of the Navy P-8 anti-submarine warfare jet during an encounter in an area 135 miles east of Hainan Island.

Yang called Pentagon criticism of the incident “totally groundless” and insisted the Chinese pilot operated professionally and kept a safe distance.

The Chinese spokesman’s account, published in the state-run Xinhua news agency, is at odds with Pentagon officials who called the encounter both dangerous and aggressive. A White House official also said the dangerous intercept was a Chinese “provocation.”

Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby on Friday called the maneuvers by the Chinese J-11—a Russian design Su-27—a dangerous and unprofessional encounter and said the military has protested the incident to the Chinese military.

“We have registered our strong concerns to the Chinese about the unsafe and unprofessional intercept, which posed a risk to the safety and the well-being of the air crew and was inconsistent with customary international law,” Kirby said, adding that the pilot of the J-11 was “very, very close; very dangerous.”

Asked Saturday about Yang’s assertion, Kirby told the Free Beacon: “We stand by our account of this dangerous and unprofessional incident.”

The Carl Vinson strike group will patrol “both 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility.” The 7th fleet covers the Pacific and the 5th Fleet is responsible for operations in the Middle East, the Navy statement said.

The guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and three guided missile destroyers, the USS Gridley, USS Sterett, and USS Dewey also deployed with the Vinson.

The Vinson will join the Japan-based USS George Washington strike group.

Earlier, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeff Pool said in a statement that the aerial incident took place 135 miles east of Hainan Island when the J-11 came within 20 feet of a U.S. Navy P-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

“The intercept was aggressive and demonstrated a lack of due regard for the safety and well-being of the U.S. and Chinese aircrews and aircraft,” Pool said, adding that the incident was of the most dangerous aerial encounters with the Chinese since the April 2001 EP-3 mid-air collision with a Chinese J-8.

The P-8 was on a routine mission in international airspace when the Chinese jet sought to intimidate the crew with several dangerous maneuvers, including a barrel roll over the top of the militarized Boeing 737 jet.

“On three different occasions, the Chinese J-11 crossed directly under the U.S. aircraft with one pass having only 50 to 100 feet separation between the two aircraft,” Pool said. “The Chinese jet also passed the nose of the P-8 at 90 degrees with its belly toward the P-8 to show its weapons loadout.”

“In doing so, the pilot was unable to see the P-8, further increasing the potential for a collision,” Pool said. “The Chinese pilot then flew directly under and alongside the P-8 bringing their wingtips within 20 feet and then before he stabilized his fighter he conducted a roll over the P-8 passing within 45 feet.”

The latest incident followed earlier intercepts that the Pentagon said were “nonstandard, unprofessional and unsafe intercepts of U.S. aircraft.”

Additionally, the aggressive interceptor was based at the same unit on Hainan Island that conducted similar aggressive intercepts in March, April, and May.

“We are concerned that the intercepting crews from that unit are acting aggressively and demonstrating a lack of regard for the regard for the safety of our aircrews,” Pool said. “We have raised our concerns over this unsafe behavior to the PRC.”

Deputy White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters the Chinese aerial encounter was “a deeply concerning provocation.”

Both the Pentagon and White House comments were unusually harsh for the Obama administration, which has sought to play down dangerous and threatening military developments by the Chinese.

Yang stated that “massive and frequent close-in surveillance of China” endangers air and maritime security and is at the root of accidents.

China is urging the United States to abide by international law and international practices and to respect the concerns of coastal countries, Yang said, adding that Washington should properly deal with the differences between the two nations on air and maritime security issues.

Yang said the United States should abide by the principle of “non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, take concrete actions, reduce and finally stop close-in surveillance of China, so as to create a sound atmosphere for bilateral military ties.”

Pool, the Pentagon spokesman, said in his statement Friday that U.S. monitoring is legal.

“Under international law, as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, military activities may be conducted within the Exclusive Economic Zone of another nation as an exercise of the freedoms of navigation and overflight,” he said. “Coastal states, including China, shall have due regard for the rights and duties of other States, including in the exercise of these freedoms.”

The aerial encounter comes amid a toughening posture by China in the South China Sea.

U.S. officials said Chinese official statements related to the ASEAN Regional Forum in early August revealed that China had no plans to back off aggressive claims in the South China Sea and is pushing hard to block U.S. involvement in the regional dispute.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi rejected a U.S. proposal to voluntarily freeze destabilizing action in disputed waters, such as China’s placement of an oil-drilling rig in the South China Sea.

China also announced it was stepping up activities in disputed areas of the sea, challenging claims by Vietnam, Philippines and other nations.

Until the Defense Ministry statement Saturday, China’s government had remained silent on the Su-27 encounter with the P-8.

Most state-run news outlets in China did not cover the affair, with major newspapers and wire services ignoring the story. Only CCTV, the state television network, reported on the Aug. 19 incident.

CCTV’s report from the network’s Washington correspondent quoted unspecified “Chinese experts” as saying the P-8 “posed a threat to their country’s military security over the South China Sea.”

The White House said Friday through Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisers, that the Chinese jet, which conducted a barrel roll over the P-8 some 135 miles east of Hainan Island was a “provocation.”

[American Patriot]

Escalation...

[vector7]

U.S., Chinese officials to meet at Pentagon after jet intercept

By Phil Stewart and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON Mon Aug 25, 2014 6:52pm EDT

0 Comments


A Chinese J-11 fighter jet is seen flying near a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon about 215 km (135 miles) east of China's Hainan Island in this U.S. Department of Defense handout photo taken August 19, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/U.S. Navy/Handout

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(Reuters) - U.S. and Chinese military officials will hold talks on rules of behavior at the Pentagon on Wednesday and Thursday, a U.S. official said, days after the United States denounced a "dangerous" Chinese jet intercept of a U.S. Navy patrol plane.

Last Tuesday, a Chinese fighter pilot flew acrobatic maneuvers around the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine and reconnaissance plane, crossing over and under it in international airspace over the South China Sea, the Pentagon said.

At one point, the jet flew wingtip-to-wingtip about 10 yards (9 meters) from the Poseidon, then performed a barrel roll over the top of it. The U.S. defense official said other close intercepts occurred in March, April and May.

While this week's discussions at the Pentagon were planned long before the recent incidents, they touch on issues at the core of the U.S. concerns about Chinese military behavior: that a Chinese provocation could spiral into a broader crisis sparked by a military miscalculation in the disputed territory.

China's sovereignty claims over the strategic stretch of mineral-rich water off its southern coast and to the east of mainland Southeast Asia set it directly against U.S. allies Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to parts of the disputed areas.

The meetings involve a working group to discuss existing multilateral standards of behavior for air and maritime activities, the defense official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Rear Admiral James Foggo, Assistant Deputy Chief of U.S. Naval Operations, is among the U.S. military officials attending, the official said. It was not immediately clear which Chinese officials would participate.

The U.S. and Chinese militaries have boosted their contacts in recent years amid recognition that, as China's economic interests continue to expand it will play a bigger security role in the world and have more interactions with the U.S. military.

Still, the recent intercepts show that those increased contacts have not eliminated friction between the two.
In April 2001, a similar aggressive intercept of a U.S. EP-3E spy plane by a Chinese F-8 fighter in the same area resulted in a collision that killed the Chinese pilot and forced the American plane to make an emergency landing at a base on China's Hainan island.

The 24 U.S. air crew members were held for 11 days until Washington apologized for the incident. That encounter soured U.S.-Chinese relations in the early days of President George W. Bush's first administration.
China has denied wrongdoing in the latest incident and blamed the United States, citing "large-scale and highly frequent close-in reconnaisssance."

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki responded by saying the United States operated "in a transparent manner."

"We make other countries, including China, aware of our plans," Psaki said.

[American Patriot]

At one point, the jet flew wingtip-to-wingtip about 10 yards (9 meters) from the Poseidon, then performed a barrel roll over the top of it. The U.S. defense official said other close intercepts occurred in March, April and May.

Ick.

That's way too close if you're just being a hotshot.


A series of images of an airplane seen from behind doing a barrel roll.


A barrel roll is an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a complete rotation on both its longitudinal axis and its lateral axis, causing it to follow a helical path, approximately maintaining its original direction. It is sometimes described as a "combination of a loop and a roll."^[1] The g-force is kept positive (but not constant) on the object throughout the maneuver, commonly between 2–3 g, and no less than 0.5 g.^[2]

Chinese Su-27 Fighter Jet Did A Barrel Roll Over A USN P-8

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The intercept news just keeps coming. This time the encounter happened about 135 miles east of Hainan Island, and involved the Navy's new P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft and a pair of Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force Su-27 Flankers.

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The Chinese fighters intercepted the defenseless P-8 and flew formation off its wings at some distance brandishing their weapons via tilting their wings up. The fighters then moved in to distances that were alarming.
Admiral Jack Kirby stated that the Chinese Flankers came within 20-30 feet of the P-8. Considering the wingspan of the Su-27 is 48 feet, that is very close for uncoordinated formation flying. They encroached to this distance at least three times during the intercept.
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What happened next was an outright omission of safety as one of the Su-27s executed a barrel roll over P-8, followed by a 90 degree break across the modified Boeing's 737's nose. Similar aggressive flying by PLAAF pilots resulted in an international incident, the loss of two aircraft, and almost the lives of two dozen Americans.
Accordingly to Admiral Kirby, the intercept was "very, very close, very dangerous."
Such an aggressive intercept occurring well outside of Chinese airspace against a US military aircraft will certainly chill military relations between the two powers. This is far less than ideal considering the US has worked hard to strengthen positive relations between the two countries' militaries, having recently invited China to participate in RIMPAC exercises earlier this summer for the very first time.

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This event adds to the slew of intense intercepts that have occurred not only in the Pacific region, but also around Europe.

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The Pentagon has filed a formal protest with the Chinese Embassy.

[Ryan Ruck]

China Tells Susan Rice To Curb U.S. Surveillance Flights

September 9, 2014

A top Chinese official on Tuesday told visiting U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice that improved military ties between the two countries would require the curbing of "close-in reconnaissance" by U.S. aircraft near China.

"We hope the U.S. can promote the healthy development of new China-U.S. military ties with concrete actions," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, as saying.

The comments echoed those by other Chinese officials to Rice, who is making her first visit to Beijing as national security adviser in advance of President Obama's participation in an APEC summit there in November.

The Pentagon has said the U.S. surveillance flights would continue, even after an Aug. 19 near-collision between a U.S. Navy P-8 patrol craft and a Chinese fighter jet sent to intercept it over the South China Sea near China's Hainan Island.

The Chinese pilot's actions — which a Pentagon spokesman called "very dangerous ... pretty aggressive and very unprofessional" —nearly sparked a replay of an April 2001 crisis when a collision with a Chinese fighter jet forced a Navy EP-3 patrol plane to land on Hainan. The Chinese held the 24 U.S. crew members for 11 days, releasing them only after a U.S. statement of regret. The aircraft was later returned in pieces, after the Chinese had thoroughly studied its classified equipment.

China has rejected the U.S. characterization of last month's incident and says it will continue to respond to further surveillance efforts.