It looks Russian Su-27 Flankers are not the only aircraft involved in close encounters with U.S. surveillance planes around the world.
As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, a Chinese Su-27 flew dangerously close to a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) aircraft over the East China Sea on Aug. 19.
The P-8, a derivative of the Boeing 737, was conducting a routine surveillance mission in international airspace when a Chinese Flanker intercepted it.
This is relatively routine stuff, until the Chinese jet flew within 50 feet of the Poseidon “and then carried out a barrel roll over the top of the aircraft.” This was a maneuver meant to threaten the American aircraft, U.S. officials familiar with the incident told The Washington Free Beacon’s
The American jet was one of the aircraft assigned to the U.S. Navy’s VP-16, a squadron based at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. The plane had been deployed to Kadena, Okinawa, one the largest U.S. airbases in the Asia-Pacific region, which is located about 400 kilometers East of the disputed Senkaku islands (Diaoyu for China).
The Navy’s Poseidons are constantly monitoring Chinese movements in the region as tensions are still high following the establishment of a Chinese Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
H/T to Isaac Alexander
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