CHINESE FIGHTERS INTERCEPT US SPY PLANE, PENTAGON CONFIRMS

The U.S. Defense Department on Tuesday confirmed that Chinese fighter jets recently made an “unsafe” interception of an American spy plane in the Asia-Pacific region.

A pair of JH-7 fighter-bombers, known in NATO parlance as Flounders, from the People’s Liberation Army came within 500 feet of an RC-135 from the U.S. Air Force last week over the Yellow Sea, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.

The incident was confirmed by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook.

“The department is reviewing a report that came in from [U.S. Pacific Command] regarding as you said a Sept. 15 intercept of a U.S. RC-135 by the People’s Republic of China,” he said in response to a question from a reporter during a briefing at the Pentagon.

The incident happened about 80 miles east of the Shandong Peninsula, Cook said.

“One of the maneuvers conducted by the Chinese aircraft in this intercept was perceived as unsafe by the RC-135 aircrew,” he said. “Right now, there’s no indication that this was a near collision.”

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