SINGAPORE—The Australian and Canadian governments say Chinese fighters have intercepted and harassed their maritime patrol aircraft, with one Chinese aircraft releasing chaff that was ingested into the engines of a Royal Australia Air Force (RAAF) P-8 Poseidon.
The Australian Defense Department says that on May 26 a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 intercepted its P-8 as it was carrying out “routine maritime surveillance activity” in international airspace over the South China Sea.
Newly appointed Defense Minister Richard Marles said June 5 that the Chinese fighter accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8, “settling in front of the P-8 at very close distance” and then releasing chaff, which was ingested into the P-8’s engines. The P-8 was able to return safely to its unspecified base.
“This incident will not deter Australia from continuing to engage in these activities, which are within our rights and international law, to ensure that there is freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, because that is fundamentally in our nation’s interest,” Marles told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
The RAAF has been conducting regular maritime surveillance flights over the South China Sea from various Southeast Asia bases, including Singapore.
The Canadian military also said Chinese fighters had intercepted a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora on several occasions over April 26-May 26. Under the banner of Operation Neon, the Aurora has been monitoring North Korea sanction evasions, flying out of Kadena Air Base on Okinawa.
The Canadian Armed Forces said its “aircrew felt so at risk that they had to quickly change their flightpath to avoid a potential collision with the intercepting aircraft.” Canada’s Global News also said PLAAF pilots sometimes made obscene gestures toward RCAF crew while closing in on Canadian aircraft.
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