RC-135

On Dec. 21 (China Standard Time), a People's Liberation Army - Navy J-11 fighter pilot performed an unsafe maneuver during an intercept of a U.S. Air Force ...

Indo-Pacific Joint Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, sail and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law. We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law. The PLAN pilot flew an unsafe maneuver by flying in front of and within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the RC-135 to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) released this statement concerning an unsafe maneuver between a PLA J-11 FLANKER-B and a U.S. RC-135 RIVET JOINT.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Joint Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, sail and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law. The PLAN pilot flew an unsafe maneuver by flying in front of and within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the RC-135 to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

The U.S. claims that the incident, which occurred on December 21, saw a J-11 come dangerously close to an RC-135 surveillance plane.

You can read more about these missiles and their capabilities in the context of China’s full air-to-air missile inventory in [this past](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/a-guide-to-chinas-increasingly-impressive-air-to-air-missile-inventory) War Zone feature. Indo-Pacific Joint Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, sail and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law,” the statement noted. Suffice it to say that, while certain interception tactics [can prove dangerous](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/chinese-fighters-decoy-dump-in-front-of-p-8-sets-dangerous-new-precedent) – as an Australian P-8A Poseidon [maritime patrol aircraft](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40859/the-case-for-stripping-the-p-8-poseidon-down-into-an-rb-8-multi-role-arsenal-ship) found out recently when it was damaged by countermeasures launched by a PLAAF [J-16 Flanker fighter](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/6108/shadowy-new-missile-appears-under-the-wing-of-chinese-j-16-fighter) over the South China Sea – the majority of intercepts don’t escalate [to become major incidents](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/9985/f-22-raptors-have-intercepted-russian-su-35s-near-alaska-for-the-first-time). China's declaration that the vast majority of the South China Sea belongs to the country, along with its militarization of the region, especially via The J-11BSH is a Navy version of the two-seat J-11BS, which is thought to have first become known in 2010. [we covered](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/10437/chinese-su-30-flanker-goes-inverted-over-usaf-nuke-sniffing-plane) an unsafe intercept on a USAF WC-135W Constant Phoenix atmospheric sampling jet by a pair of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) [Su-30MKK Flanker derivatives](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/6108/shadowy-new-missile-appears-under-the-wing-of-chinese-j-16-fighter) above the East China Sea. Air Force [RC-135](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/air-force-rc-135u-electronic-intelligence-jet-surveils-chinas-strategic-southern-coast) surveillance plane in international airspace over the South China Sea, according to a [statement](https://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/3256219/usindopacom-statement-on-unsafe-intercept-of-us-aircraft-over-south-china-sea/) released by U.S. [J-11 fighter jet](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/record-breaking-68-chinese-warplanes-just-flew-into-the-taiwan-strait) recently performed what the U.S. 21 (China Standard Time), a People’s Liberation Army - Navy J-11 fighter pilot performed an unsafe maneuver during an intercept of a U.S. Built by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC), the aircraft is currently in use by both the PLAAF and the PLAN. Video footage of the intercept has been released by USINDOPACOM, which you can view below. military spokesperson also suggested that the J-11 came within 10 feet of the RC-135’s wing, Reuters

[1/3] A Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet is recorded flying close to a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft in international airspace over the South China Sea, according ...

Despite tensions between the United States and China, U.S. military spokesperson said the Chinese jet came within 10 feet of the plane's wing, but 20 feet from its nose, which caused the U.S. The incident, which involved a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet and a U.S. [Nancy Pelosi's trip](/world/taiwan-visit-caps-nancy-pelosis-long-history-confronting-beijing-2022-08-02/) to Taiwan in August infuriated China, which saw it as a U.S. A U.S. 21, the U.S. air force aircraft in the contested South China Sea last week and forced it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in international airspace, the U.S. military aircraft, U.S. attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. Chinese jet came within 10 feet of U.S. The United States has raised the issue with the Chinese government, a separate U.S. military said on Thursday.