US spy planes in South China Sea ‘creating risk’ for civilian aircraft
- American reconnaissance craft initially identified as commercial airliner until it flew near Guangdong last week, source says
- Cases of mistaken identity have led to passenger planes being shot down in the past, observers warn
The US military has several types of reconnaissance aircraft developed on commercial aeroplane platforms, and they usually follow civil aviation flights as cover when approaching China’s airspace, a source close to the People’s Liberation Army told the South China Morning Post.
The source said the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft was initially identified by the air control radar system in the southern province of Guangdong as a commercial airliner, flying at more than 9,000 metres (29,500 feet) over the South China Sea.
It was only when it flew close to the provincial capital of Guangzhou that the plane was identified as an American military aircraft, according to the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
“It’s possible to cause accidents or misjudgments amid the escalating tensions between the Chinese and US militaries,” the source said. “Using civil aircraft as cover is a common operation for the Americans and their close ally Israel. But the South China Sea is one of the world’s busiest international airspaces, which may put civil aircraft at risk.”
Lu Li-shih, a former instructor at Taiwan’s Naval Academy in Kaohsiung, said many navies and air forces played tricks to cover up their military activities, which may cause safety problems to civilian airlines and vessels if ground-based military operators failed to make repeated verifications.
“War allows deceit. There have been some accidents that happened when ground-based missile defence troops failed to carefully verify intruding aircraft,” Lu said.