US: 2 Chinese jets conduct unsafe intercept of Navy aircraft

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon says two Chinese aircraft conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept of a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea. It was the second time in a week that the U.S. has complained about unsafe Chinese operations in the region.

Navy Cdr. Gary Ross says the Navy P-3 Orion was operating in international airspace. He says the U.S. is reviewing the incident and will convey concerns to the Chinese.

A defence official says one of the Chinese J-10 fighter jets flew about 200 yards in front of the P-3 and about 100 feet above it, doing slow turns. The second Chinese fighter remained about 750 yards off the P-3’s right wing. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.