In recent years, there has been a notable surge in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China’s intercepting U.S. military aircraft in international airspace, an action characterized as part of a broader strategy to exert pressure on lawful flight operations in the region, according to American defense officials. On Tuesday, October 16, 2023, the Pentagon released a set of declassified images and videos capturing 15 recent incidents, illustrating an increasing trend of coercive and risky operational behavior by the PLA since late 2021.
These encounters between U.S. aircraft and Chinese fighter jets reveal a concerning pattern of risky maneuvers and aggressive approaches. In one such incident, a PLA fighter jet crossed in front of a U.S. aircraft at a distance of approximately 100 yards, compelling the American aircraft to fly through the turbulence generated by the PLA plane. In another case, a PLA fighter aggressively approached a U.S. aircraft, flying underneath its nose, causing the U.S. pilot to lose visual contact before the Chinese fighter came within 10 feet of the American aircraft.
Additional footage from August depicts a PLA fighter flying close to a U.S. aircraft, executing a barrel roll around and beneath the American plane. This maneuver forced the U.S. pilot to take evasive action to prevent a collision.
The release of this evidence comes ahead of the forthcoming “China Military Power Report (CMPR),” which is expected to detail military and security developments related to the People’s Republic of China. According to the report’s findings, the PLA’s behavior is intended to pressure the United States and other nations into reducing or ceasing lawful operations in areas where Beijing asserts territorial sovereignty.
This aggressive behavior by the PLA is not confined to international airspace alone; it encompasses various domains and regions throughout the Indo-Pacific. Chinese ships have similarly engaged in harassment against U.S. and allied warships in the East China Sea and have posed challenges to Indian partners on land.
Since late 2021, there have been over 180 such incidents of coercive and risky behavior, far exceeding the decade preceding. These actions involve PLA operators performing reckless maneuvers, deploying chaff, releasing flares, and approaching U.S. aircraft too rapidly or closely.
Furthermore, the report indicates that these actions aim to disrupt the ability of U.S. forces and their allies to operate safely in regions where international law grants them the right to be.
Despite continuous claims from U.S. officials regarding the increasingly aggressive and unsafe nature of interactions with China in the air, this release marks the first instance where the Pentagon has provided substantial data to support these allegations. While the declassified information offers a comprehensive look at unsafe intercepts in the East and South China Seas, additional context surrounding these incidents was not supplied.
This wave of aggressive behavior can be seen as a deliberate strategy by the People’s Republic of China to coerce a change in lawful U.S. operational activity and that of U.S. allies and partners, according to Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino expressed concern over these actions, emphasizing that they put lives at risk and have intensified since the early 2000s when a U.S. Navy aircraft collided midair with a Chinese fighter during an intercept over the South China Sea.
