DOD Reports of China's Intercepts of US Aircraft on the Rise

In the past two years, nearly 200 incidents of People’s Liberation Army pilots harassing American aircraft had been documented, according to a Pentagon official.

Kimberly Johnson

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 02:36 PM ET

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Images and video newly released by the Department of Defense capture a Chinese People’s Liberation Army fighter jet in the course of conducting a coercive and risky intercept against a lawfully operating U.S. asset in the South China Sea, including approaching at a distance of just 40 feet before repeatedly flying above and below the U.S. aircraft and flashing its weapons. After the U.S. operator radioed the PLA fighter, the PLA pilot responded by using explicit language, including an expletive. [Courtesy: DOD]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. defense officials report a significant and increasing trend of "coercive and risky operational behavior" by Chinese PLA pilots, with over 180 dangerous intercepts of U.S. military aircraft in international airspace since Fall 2021.
These intercepts involve reckless maneuvers such as extremely close approaches (e.g., within 10 feet), forcing U.S. aircraft into wake turbulence, and releasing objects like flares, creating collision risks.
The behavior is identified as a deliberate pressure campaign by China to compel the U.S. and other nations to reduce or cease lawful operations in areas where Beijing claims territorial sovereignty, and it extends to other allied aircraft (like Canadian) and naval vessels.

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There’s been a rise in Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) pilots intercepting U.S. military aircraft in international airspace over the past two years as part of a pressure campaign against lawful flight operations in the region, according to American defense officials.

On Tuesday, Pentagon officials released a collection of declassified images and videos of 15 recent cases in what they said underscored “an increasing trend of coercive and risky operational behavior by the PLA since the fall of 2021.”