Senior Canadian government officials are increasingly concerned about a dangerous escalation of aggression by Chinese fighter pilots in the skies of the Asia-Pacific region.
Several sources in the Canadian Forces and the federal government tell Global News that Chinese planes are repeatedly “browning” a Canadian intelligence aircraft that is part of a United Nations mission on international waters.
According to sources, these planes often fly between 20 and 100 feet from Canadian planes, so close that Canadian pilots can make eye contact with Chinese pilots and sometimes see them lifting their middle fingers. Sources spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive information.
“(This distance is) terrifying at these high speeds, and could lead to disaster in an accident,” said Charles Burton, a senior member of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa.
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“You do too much and eventually, at some point, it will go wrong.”
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The Canadian CP-140 Aurora aircraft is currently participating in Operation Neon, part of the UN’s efforts to prevent the development of weapons of mass destruction by North Korea. It is frequently flown by multiple rotating crews.
Sources tell Global News that there have been about 60 such interceptions with Chinese fighter jets since Christmas, more than two dozen of which have been deemed dangerous.
The Department of National Defense confirmed the details of the incidents to Global News, which a spokesman said were “worrying and often growing.”
“In some cases, the (Canadian) aircrew felt at risk that they had to quickly change their own flight path to increase the clearance and prevent a possible collision with the intercepting aircraft,” he said. spokesman.
According to sources, the Canadian government has sent multiple diplomatic warnings to Beijing over the incidents, calling the Chinese pilots’ behavior “unsafe and unprofessional.” It is not believed that China has responded to these warnings, which have not prevented the incidents from continuing.
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Burton says he is concerned not only about a possible collision in the air as a result of the behavior of Chinese pilots, but also about the risk of an international incident between Canada and China.
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“I am completely baffled as to why China would risk fomenting an international incident that could lead to extremely high tensions if the Chinese plane causes the loss of Canadian lives,” he said.
“And the fact that the Chinese government is not responding to Canadian concerns, (not) trying to reign in this kind of adventurism, is also very worrying.”
Tensions between Canada and China have not yet recovered from the nearly three-year detention of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou by Canada on charges of fraud in the United States and the subsequent imprisonment of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in China. All three were released last September after Meng reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors.
Last month, Canada banned Huawei and Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE from bringing equipment to its growing 5G network, further angering Beijing.
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Billie Flynn, a retired Royal Canadian Air Force squadron commander and former test pilot of an F-35 fighter jet, says the Aurora wanted by Canadians, which he called “a large, heavy aircraft.” , would have difficulty maneuvering away from a fighter. jet flying so close.
“It would be terrifying for (the Aurora pilot) to do any kind of evasive maneuver, because it could make the Chinese fighter pilot do something even more irresponsible and more dangerous,” he told Global News.
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“The best thing they can do is fly and wait for the Chinese fighter pilot to disappear.”
Flynn added that the turbulence created by the fighter jet would put the Aurora pilot at an even greater risk of losing control.
All of these factors would put Aurora at the “mercy” of a close fighter pilot’s skill, he says.
“Being so aggressive, so hotdogging, suggests that (Chinese pilots) are probably not as experienced or as good, which puts even more risk on Aurora’s crews,” he said.
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A source told Global News that before each mission, pilots and their commanders discuss potential risks and whether to continue a flight. The concern now, the source said, is that the “foggy” tactic of Chinese fighter pilots has come to stay, increasing the level of risk for future flights.
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China has increased its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region over the past two years, especially around Taiwan, which Beijing claims is its own territory. He has intensified exercises and maneuvers around the island and confirmed on Wednesday that he has carried out a “preparatory patrol” for combat at sea and in the air in recent days.
The Chinese government has also continued to provide economic and financial support to North Korea despite a new wave of rocket launches this year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, which has led to the condemnation of its Asian and Western neighbors.
Last month, China and Russia vetoed new US-backed sanctions on the UN Security Council in response to North Korean gun tests.
—With files by Marc-André Cossette
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.