Flights security

PENTAGON CONFIRMS CHINESE INTERCEPT OF U.S. SPY PLANE

The Chinese jets came within 500 feet of the American plane, a distance described as “unsafe” by the U.S. Pacific Command, although they did not classify the event as a “near collision.”

“While unsafe air encounters are normally considered serious by the Pentagon, military officials said the incident didn’t alarm them since it appeared to be more of an exception than a trend,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

In fact, such behavior is so unusual that the previous Chinese intercept described by theWSJ was said to be the work of a “rogue pilot,” who harassed a number of American planes, including one incident that involved air show barrel roll theatrics. Safe “intercepts” that keep the aircraft separated by respectful distances are common events.