A Chinese fighter jet fired flares in front of a Canadian Navy helicopter over international waters in the South China Sea.
Canada has called the launch of flares by a Chinese fighter jet at a Sikorsky Cyclone military helicopter “reckless” and said it could have led to an accident, as “the missiles could have hit the propeller blades or engines.”
The fired upon helicopter is based on the frigate Ottawa, and this is the second time that the crews of this ship have come dangerously close to Chinese J-11 fighters. The previous one was on October 29, when Chinese fighter jets came within 30 meters of the helicopter, the military said.
The pilot of the attacked helicopter told CNN that he had previously had experience avoiding the dangerous behavior of Chinese fighter jets, which began to close circles around his aircraft, creating turbulence, and he had to bring the helicopter to an ultra-low altitude.
- China claims that most of the South China Sea is their sovereign territory (the claim was rejected by an international court in The Hague, but Beijing refused to recognize this decision) and is actively militarizing the area, including by building artificial islands for military bases. This is opposed by the United States, Japan, the Philippines, and other neighbors in the region.
