A Chinese navy Harbin Z-9 helicopter has conducted a dangerous intercept of a Philippine government Cessna 208B Caravan.
The 18 February incident saw the Z-9 approach as close as 3m (10ft) from the turboprop, which was carrying journalists above the Scarborough Shoal, a location in the South China Sea that is illegally claimed by China, according to Radio Free Asia.
According to a Philippine coast guard spokesman, the helicopter made two close approaches to the aircraft’s left side.
In video posted on social media, the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) pilot is heard warning the Z-9 that it is too close, endangering the lives of the Caravan’s passengers and crew.
The Z-9 continued alongside the Cessna with a crew member in the helicopter’s rear compartment taking photos. The helicopter crew apparently ordered the Caravan to depart the area, but the aircraft continued with its patrol.
The standoff between the two aircraft lasted about 30min.
The incident came about a week after a People’s Liberation Army Air Force Shenyang J-16 conducted a dangerous intercept of a Boeing P-8A operated by the Royal Australian Air Force.
That incident also occurred in international airspace over the South China Sea. The 11 February intercept saw the J-16 release flares close to the P-8A, according to Australia’s Department of Defence (DoD).
“This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel,” said the DoD.
Chinese aircraft have a long history of dangerous intercepts in international airspace.
Despite the recent Australian and Philippine incidents, China appears to have backed off from dangerous intercepts of US military aircraft after former US President Joe Biden raised the issue with Chinese ruler Xi Jinping during a November 2023 summit.
According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, the BFAR operates a single 208B Caravan that it obtained in 2023. Curiously, the aircraft was assembled in the Chinese city of Shijiazhuang by a joint venture between Cessna and China Aviation Industry General Aircraft.
It served for six years with China’s Hai Au Aviation before the BFAR obtained it in May 2023.
The Z-9 is based on the Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphin. It routinely operates aboard Chinese warships, serving in the reconaissance, strike, and anti-submarine warfare roles.
