Explosive Encounter: Chinese Jet Launches Flares in Close Proximity to Submarine-Hunting Helicopter in South China Sea, Canadian Navy Alarms
Chinese warplanes dangerously fired flares near a Canadian military helicopter in the South China Sea, risking significant damage This threatens freedom of navigation in international waters
Last Sunday, a Canadian military helicopter was approached by a Chinese warplane in the South China Sea. The warplane fired flares in front of the helicopter, endangering the aircraft and its crew. Canadian military officers deemed this operation reckless and stated that it had the potential to cause the helicopter to crash. Maj. Rob Millen, air officer aboard the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ottawa, which the helicopter was flying from, described the incident as unsafe, non-standard, and unprofessional.
The incident occurred on October 29 when the Ottawa helicopter had two encounters with Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy J-11 fighter jets over international waters. During these encounters, the fighters approached as close as 100 feet to the helicopter, as explained by Millen in an interview aboard the warship. It is not uncommon for Chinese aircraft to approach fixed-wing aircraft, but it is rare for such action to be taken against a helicopter, according to Millen.
The initial incident took place in international waters, more specifically, outside of the Paracel Island chain located in the northern region of the South China Sea, approximately 34 miles away. The subsequent incident also occurred in international waters, around 23 miles away from the Paracels. During these incidents, the warship in question was operating in international waters, positioned 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the Paracels. At the time, the Canadian helicopter onboard the Ottawa was engaged in a search for a submarine that had been previously detected.
Millen disclosed that he had been operating the Canadian helicopter earlier that day when Chinese J-11s intercepted it in close proximity. The aircraft was flying steadily and horizontally at an altitude of 3,000 feet above the water, heading back towards the Ottawa. This maneuver served as an indication that the helicopter had no hostile intentions.
A Canadian military Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone conducts test flights with HMCS Montreal in Halifax harbour on Thursday, April 1, 2010.
Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press/AP/File
During their previous encounter, Millen reported that the Chinese fighters circled around his helicopter.
"As the intercepting aircraft got progressively closer, there came a point where it became unsafe," he stated.
Millen expressed discomfort due to the fragility of the helicopter's rotor system, which was endangered by the turbulence caused by the Chinese jets.
Millen stated that he concluded the aforementioned incident by descending to an altitude of 200 feet, which is a region suitable for helicopter operations but highly inconvenient for fast air fighter jets. The major from the Canadian air force affirmed that his military's air crews are well-practiced in dealing with such intercepts, as evidenced by their response on Sunday, and will persist in conducting their flights above the international waters of the South China Sea.
CNN is seeking a response from Chinese authorities regarding the recent incidents. China asserts its historical control over a significant portion of the expansive South China Sea. Since 2014, China has transformed small reefs and sandbars into fortified artificial islands equipped with missiles, runways, and weapons systems, generating criticism from other claimants. The Paracels, referred to as the Xisha Islands by China, are situated in the northern region of the South China Sea, east of Da Nang, Vietnam, and south of China's Hainan Island.
PHOTO - An image taken on Aug. 22, 2023, shows a Philippine supply boat navigating through Chinese coast guard ships attempting to impede its progress near Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea. China's recent publication of a new official map, which asserts sovereignty over a significant portion of the South China Sea in addition to contested territories in India and Russia, has provoked widespread dissatisfaction throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Official objections to this claim continue to grow. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
Aaron Favila/AP
Tensions are flaring once more in the South China Sea. Heres why it matters for the world
The South China Sea, spanning over 1.3 million square miles, plays a critical role in global trade, facilitating the passage of trillions of dollars' worth of international shipping annually. Additionally, it supports extensive fishing grounds, serving as a lifeline for numerous communities and their livelihoods.
Despite an international tribunal's 2016 verdict in The Hague, which determined that China has no legitimate grounds to assert historic rights over the majority of the South China Sea, China has chosen to disregard the ruling.
Freedom of navigation
Major western powers frequently conduct passage across the sea in order to assert that the region is international waters, sparking Beijings ire.
The Ottawa had been patrolling the waterway since last Monday, occasionally collaborating with United States, Australian, Japanese, and New Zealand naval vessels and aircraft in a multinational exercise called Noble Caribou. However, it was on its own when it encountered the Chinese jets.
During the Wednesday night to Thursday deployment, the Ottawa and the US Navy destroyer USS Rafael Peralta continued their presence in the Taiwan Strait, another important international waterway and crucial shipping channel that has witnessed tense encounters between PLA and allied vessels.
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In June of last year, the destroyer USS Chung-Hoon of the US Navy had a close encounter with a Chinese warship while transiting through the Taiwan Strait. To prevent a collision, the US warship reduced its speed as the Chinese navy vessel maneuvered in front of it. The Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal, which was also present, had a news crew onboard that documented the incident. During a defense conference in Singapore, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu placed the blame on the US for escalating tensions in the area when questioned by reporters.
Li stated that the presence of US warships was not for innocent passage but for provocation. According to Li, if foreign powers, including the US, desired to avoid conflict, they should refrain from sending their military assets in close proximity to China.
Li said, "Please focus on your own affairs," as she questioned the occurrence of these incidents in areas close to China rather than areas close to other countries. The recent passage of allied warships through the strait was uneventful, without any reported contact.
The U.S. military has released a still image from video footage showing a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet flying in close proximity to a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft over the South China Sea. This incident occurred in international airspace on December 21, 2022.
U.S. INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND/Reuters/File
Sundays incidents come after other reports of unsafe intercepts of allied aircraft in the recent days.
A PLA fighter jet approached a US Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea on Tuesday, coming within 10 feet, according to the US military.
In a separate incident earlier in October, a Chinese fighter jet came within a distance of five meters (16 feet) from a Canadian CP-140 reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea.
The news crews aboard the Canadian aircraft captured and Maj. Gen. Iain Huddleston, the commander of Canadas 1st Air Division, witnessed the incident firsthand. Huddleston described the intercept as "unprofessional" and "very aggressive" in a report from Radio Canada, also present on the plane.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry of Canada expressed concerns about the safety of all personnel due to the multiple close-proximity manoeuvres conducted by a PLAAF aircraft.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro talks during an interview with CNN in Manila, Philippines on September 29, 2023.
Mark Phillips/CNN
Philippines' defense secretary pledges defiance against China's bullying tactics. China's Foreign Ministry claims a breach of Chinese airspace by a Canadian aircraft and accuses the Canadian military of deliberately instigating turmoil and provocations near China's borders.
In February, a CNN crew witnessed an incident where a Chinese fighter jet came within 500 feet of a US Navy reconnaissance plane. The US aircraft was flying at 21,500 feet, approximately 30 miles from the Paracels.
Recently, Ely Ratner, the Pentagon's top official responsible for security in the Indo-Pacific, stated that the US has observed an increase in instances of "coercive and risky" behavior from Chinese pilots towards US aircraft over the East and South China Seas. These incidents have been more frequent in the past two years compared to the entire decade prior.
"We have witnessed over 180 such incidents since the autumn of 2021," stated Ratner, emphasizing that this represents an orchestrated and concentrated endeavor aimed at forcing a modification in lawful operational activities within the United States."
