The US has declassified the recordings. Now we know what the Chinese were doing

The U.S. Department of Defense has released a series of declassified photos and videos featuring dangerous aerial encounters between American and Chinese pilots. As the Pentagon points out, they depict instances of coercion and risky operational behavior undertaken by the People's Liberation Army of China against American aircraft.

Materials published on Tuesday, October 17, present 15 recent cases of dangerous encounters in the air with Chinese fighter aircraft. The Pentagon emphasizes that actions were taken against American machines that were "legally operating in international airspace in the areas of the East Sea and South China Sea". Among them it lists, among others, reckless maneuvers, close approaches at high speeds in the air, and the launching of objects and missiles, such as flares.

Photos and recordings were released ahead of the publication of the report on the development of the military situation and security involving the People's Republic of China for the year 2023, known as "China Military Power Report (CMPR)." According to the US Department of Defense, the materials highlight "key findings in the upcoming document about a growing trend of coercion and risky operational behaviors by PLAAF since the fall of 2021." Most of them show Chinese fighters approaching close to American aircraft. During one such incident, a Chinese fighter was only approximately 328 feet away.

Part of the "reckless maneuvers" were carried out with the participation of Shenyang J-11 and Shenyang J-16 fighters. The first of the mentioned machines is a twin-engine jet fighter, modeled on the Russian Su-27, which can fly at speeds reaching 1553 mph. This single-seater machine is armed with an automatic cannon GSz-30-1 30 mm. Its equipment also includes unguided rocket missiles, cluster bombs, and PL-15 and Vympel R-77 missiles. The range of the J-11 is estimated at about 2175 miles.

The Shenyang J-16 is an advanced version of the J-11, based on the Su-30 and equipped with indigenous electronics. The fighter is fitted with two FWS-10 turbofan engines. The aircraft can fly at a speed reaching approximately 1522 miles per hour at a maximum altitude of over roughly 11 miles. Its range is about 2422 miles. J-16 fighters have been in serial production since 2012. The PLA put them into service in 2013, and as Miliatary Today service points out, by 2019 there were at least 128 J-16 fighters in service.