Chinese Warplane Fires Flares Close to Canadian Helicopter in South China Sea

Corporal Riley Aucoin, an Aviation Systems Technician, approaches HMCS Ottawa’s embarked CH-148 Cyclone helicopter “GREYWOLF” upon completion of flight operations in the South China Sea during Indo-Pacific Deployment on Oct. 7, 2023. (Aviator Gregory Cole, Canadian Armed Forces Photo)

In a rare move, a Chinese fighter jet launched flares in front of a Canadian helicopter flying over the South China Sea, the Department of National Defence is reporting.

The Oct. 29 incident involved a Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopter embarked on the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ottawa.

DND says the helicopter was conducting routine manoeuvres over international airspace when it was intercepted by two People’s Liberation Army (PLA) J-11 fighter jets. The initial encounters were safe but two subsequent ones were not, said the department.

One pass of the Cyclone was conducted with little separation and the pilot had to take action to respond to the turbulence. Later that day during a second sortie, the helicopter was again intercepted. This time a J-11 fighter launched flares directly in front of the helicopter. DND says the pilot had to manoeuvre to avoid the flares.

“The risk to a helicopter in that instance is the flares moving into the rotor blades or the engines so this was categorized as both unsafe and non-standard, unprofessional,” Maj. Rob Millen told CNN, which was reporting from aboard HMCS Ottawa.

Maj. Millen had been flying over international waters near the Paracel Island chain when it was intercepted by the Chinese jets. The helicopter had been searching for a previously detected submarine in the area.

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Chinese fighter jets have conducted multiple close-range documented interceptions of other aircrafts, but Maj. Millen said it is rare for them to target helicopters.

The Chinese jets were circling the helicopter, causing turbulence, and Maj. Millen ended the encounter by flying down to 200 feet, an altitude “very uncomfortable for fast air fighter jets.”

HMCS Ottawa is currently involved in manoeuvres in the South China Sea and is part of a two-ship deployment in the Indo-Pacific. HMCS Ottawa left Esquimalt base in August along with HMCS Vancouver, with the latter being deployed in Northeast Asia as part of Op NEON to help enforce UN sanctions against North Korea.

Military assets from Canada and other countries operating in the region have been routinely harassed by China’s navy and air force.

The U.S. military said a Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea on Oct. 24.

“We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision,” the U.S. military said in a statement, calling the manoeuvre “unsafe and unprofessional.”

The U.S. says there have been more than 180 instances of Chinese aircraft taking such actions against its assets in the region since 2021.

In mid-October, a Global News crew aboard a Royal Canadian Air Force Aurora surveillance plane involved in Op NEON filmed Chinese fighter jets coming within about five metres during an interception.

The Chinese military has not only targeted aircrafts, but ships as well, as it seeks to deter the U.S. and its allies from operating freely in the area.

In June, Global was on board HMCS Montreal when it captured a video of a Chinese warship cutting off a U.S. destroyer travelling through the Taiwan Strait.

Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.