Chinese Warplane Comes Within Feet to Colliding With US Bomber

https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/chinese-warplane-comes-within-feet-to-colliding-with-us-bomber-over-south-china-sea-5517933?utm_source=News&src_src=News&utm_campaign=breaking-2023-10-27-2&src_cmp=breaking-2023-10-27-2&utm_medium=email&cta_utm_source=News&est=cgskVlKXtV12FPLTv2x4D7Mhkle%2F32X8kk4XA6FjNiqaasHAeSzrSXcxVGsZfbU%2F

A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a U.S. bomber in a nighttime intercept over the South China Sea on Oct. 24, putting both aircraft "in danger of collision," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said.

INDOPACOM said the pilot of a Shenyang J-11 "flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner" and "demonstrated poor airmanship by closing with uncontrolled excessive speed" near the U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber.

"We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision," the U.S. military said in a statement.
Footage released by INDOPACOM shows the Chinese J-11 fighter flying in close proximity, within 10 feet of the B-52 bomber that was "lawfully conducting routine operations" over the South China Sea.
The Chinese aircraft intercepted the U.S. Air Force bomber at night when there was limited visibility and "in a manner contrary to international air safety rules and norms," according to INDOPACOM.

Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, said there have been over 180 instances of Chinese aircraft engaging in "coercive and risky operational behavior" since the fall of 2021.
In those cases, Chinese aircraft conducted "reckless maneuvers, discharged chaff, shot off flares, approached too rapidly or too close to U.S. aircraft" in attempts to interfere with the ability of U.S. forces to operate in places where international law allows, Mr. Ratner said.

"And when you take into account cases of coercive and risky PLA [People's Liberation Army] intercepts against other states, the number increases to nearly 300 cases against U.S., allied, and partner aircraft over the last two years," he told reporters on Oct. 26.

In one instance on May 26, a Chinese J-16 fighter jet "flew directly in front of the nose" of a U.S. RC-135 aircraft over the South China Sea, forcing the U.S. aircraft to fly through the Chinese plane's wake turbulence, according to the Pentagon's Oct. 17 report.
In another case on July 12, a Chinese fighter jet conducted a "coercive and risky intercept" against a U.S. aircraft in the East China Sea, including by deploying eight flares at a distance of 900 feet from the U.S. aircraft.

"The bottom line is that, in many cases, this type of operational behavior can cause accidents, and dangerous accidents can lead to inadvertent conflict," Mr. Ratner said.

Mr. Ratner said these incidents occurred at a time when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has declined U.S. invitations to open lines of military-to-military communication at the senior-most levels.