Chinese Fighter Intercepts Air Force B-52 Over South China Sea

The pilot of a People’s Republic of China Shenyang J-11 fighter jet conducted an unsafe intercept of a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress on Tuesday, flying within 10 feet of the bomber, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM).

During the nighttime intercept, the B-52 was conducting routine and lawful operations over the South China Sea in international airspace.

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“… The PRC pilot flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner [and] demonstrated poor airmanship by closing with uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of collision,” INDOPACOM said in a statement Thursday. “We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision.”

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The incident occurred just days after U.S. defense officials detailed China’s pattern of  “unsafe, unprofessional” behaviors that seek to influence lawful international operations by the U.S. and other nations in a 212-page China military power report to Congress. 

In 2022, there was also an uptick in the country’s dangerous or coercive actions in the region, according to the Department of Defense.

“For example, between the fall of 2021 and fall of 2023, the United States documented over 180 instances of PLA [People’s Liberation Army] coercive and risky air intercepts against U.S. aircraft in the region,” the report said. “Over the same period, the PLA also conducted around 100 instances of coercive and risky operational behavior in the air domain against U.S. allies and partners.”

Pentagon officials also released a collection of declassified images and videos of 15 recent cases in what they said underscored the disturbing trend. 

#USINDOPACOM Statement on #PRC Unprofessional Intercept: "A People’s Republic of China J-11 pilot executed an unsafe intercept of a U.S. Air Force B-52 aircraft which was lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea…"

Read more⬇️https://t.co/UnCmnneAr7 pic.twitter.com/6k79Koah3V

— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@INDOPACOM) October 26, 2023