Manila has condemned the unsafe intercept by a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter of a Philippine air force aircraft over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
During the incident, the Chinese fighter allegedly dropped flares in the path of an Indonesian Aerospace NC212i (AF2119) tactical transport of the Philippine air force, according to the office of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The NC212i was conducting a patrol over Scarborough Shoal – known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc – an oceanic feature that lies near the Philippines, but which is claimed by China.
“I strongly condemn the air incident in Bajo de Masinloc earlier this week and stand by our brave men and women of the armed forces of the Philippines, especially the Philippine air force [PAF],” says Marcos.
“The actions of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force aircraft were unjustified, illegal and reckless, especially as the PAF aircraft was undertaking a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace.”
Philippine media outlet The Inquirer posted what is allegedly cockpit footage from the NC212i. A Chinese fighter – either a Sukhoi Su-27/30 or Shenyang J-11/J16 – is seen dropping a series of flares to the left and above the Philippine aircraft.
The PLAAF has a reputation for dangerous intercepts in international airspace above the South China Sea, a large part of which is illegally claimed by Beijing.
From 2018-2023, PLAAF fighters made several dangerous intercepts of US Navy (USN) maritime patrol aircraft. The intercepts saw types such as the Chengdu J-10 and J-11/16 make extremely close passes against aircraft such as the Boeing P-8A Poseidon and Lockheed Martin EP-3E Aries.
Another incident, in June 2022, saw a PLAAF J-16 drop a cloud of chaff in front of a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A, some of which was ingested by the P-8A’s CFM International CFM56 engines.
The danger of such incidents was highlighted in 2001, when a Chinese J-8 collided with a USN EP-3 in international airspace over the South China Sea. The Chinese pilot was never found after the accident, and the USN aircraft landed on the Chinese island of Hainan, sparking an international incident.
