Chinese J-11 fighter jets fatally intercept a Canadian CH-148 Hurricane anti-submarine helicopter.

Currently, naval and air units of the Royal Canadian Navy are participating in freedom of navigation operations in the China Sea, alongside US naval forces, as part of the Canadian government’s strategy to enhance stability and security in the Indo-Indian region. In the Pacific more precisely, it is about HMCS Ottawa and part of its CH-148 Cyclone helicopters.

In this case, yesterday, through the official statement of the Canadian Armed Forces, one of these helicopters was dangerously intercepted by the J-11 fighter jets of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. In this regard, the speech published yesterday said:A CH-148 Cyclone helicopter from HMCS Ottawa was engaged in a routine exercise in the South China Sea when it was intercepted by two People’s Liberation Army J-11 fighter jets. Although the initial encounter was safe, the two subsequent encounters were deemed dangerous”. Add: “Through successive passes, one aircraft eventually passed the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter with little separation, allowing the helicopter to experience the turbulence and take appropriate measures to stay safe.”.

“Later that day, during a second mission, the same helicopter was again intercepted by another J-11 fighter, which dropped flares directly in front of the helicopter. The helicopter pilot had to maneuver to avoid the flames and reduce the risk of a flare being injected into the helicopter’s rotor and intake. This meeting was also considered unsafe“, the report continued, highlighting that these unsafe maneuvers were carried out in international airspace and there was no damage or injury to the crew or the aircraft.

However, a recent memo published by CNN included launching flares against helicopters on short-haul routes, further increasing the risk of maneuvers carried out by pilots of J-11 commandos. Because, in the words of a source consulted by the media, “The danger to the helicopter was flares moving towards the rotor blades or engines, so it was classified as unsafe and unprofessional.“said Major Rob Millan, flight officer aboard the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS. Ottawa confirms that this fact was recorded during the second interception of a Canadian CH-148 Cyclone helicopter.

Referring to the locations of each event, it: “The first incident occurred in international waters outside the 34-mile Paracel island chain in the northern part of the South China Sea. The second also occurred in international waters 23 miles off Paracels. The warship was operating in international waters about 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Paracels at the time.”.

Performance of this type of maneuver by Chinese pilots is not new. Recently, The Pentagon itself released a document detailing the dangerous operations carried out by PLA pilots.The North American Security Portfolio classified dozens of photos and videos captured during more than 180 such interactions since the fall of 2021. The report sought to expose “… the dangerous pattern of coercive and dangerous operational behavior by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) against US aircraft operating lawfully in international airspace over the East and South China Sea regions…”

* Cover photo used for illustration.

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