Chinese PLA Navy chopper gets as close as 3 meters to BFAR plane
- The encounter was the closest a Chinese chopper had been to a Philippine aircraft in the West Philippine Sea.
- It became a virtual hide-and-seek in the sky, until the Chinese chopper suddenly emerged on the port side of the BFAR aircraft before going higher, briefly disappearing from view.
- During the three-hour flight, the BFAR plane issued at least 19 radio challenges to the Chinese Navy chopper and Chinese ships in the vicinity of Panatag.
ONBOARD A BFAR AIRCRAFT, West Philippine Sea—A Chinese military helicopter came as close as three meters above this Philippine fisheries bureau plane which was conducting a maritime patrol of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Tuesday morning.
It was the closest a Chinese chopper had been to a Philippine aircraft in the WPS, or the waters within Manila’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson on the WPS.
The 12-seater aircraft operated by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) arrived in the airspace above Panatag at 8:16 a.m. and immediately received radio challenges from Chinese warships in the vicinity of the shoal.
Around four minutes later, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy helicopter with tail No. 68 came into view, initially shadowing the BFAR plane from a distance of around 3 km.
It started issuing its own radio challenge telling the Philippine plane to “leave immediately.”
But the Filipino pilots maintained course at an altitude of 213 meters (700 feet), issuing their own radio challenge to the Chinese presence in Philippine airspace.
“Chinese military helicopter, this is Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippine government, Cesna Caravan 280 Romeo Papa 107, conducting a lawful maritime patrol within the exclusive economic zone. You are flying too close, you are very dangerous and endangering the lives of our crew and passengers. Keep away and distance your aircraft from us. You are violating the safety standard set by Federal Aviation Administration and International Civil Aviation Organization,” one of the Filipino pilots said.
Hide-and-seek in the sky
Ignoring the message, the PLA Navy helicopter began closing the distance, with the journalists on the BFAR plane sometimes losing sight of the Chinese aircraft due to changes in altitude.
It became a virtual hide-and-seek in the sky, until the Chinese chopper suddenly emerged on the port side of the BFAR aircraft before going higher, briefly disappearing from view.
The chopper would do this maneuver one more time, until it came as close as 3 meters above the Philippine aircraft.
“Oh my God!’’ one of the alarmed journalists on board exclaimed.
A minute later, the Chinese chopper reappeared and came within 10 meters.
Ships in position
During the three-hour flight, the BFAR plane issued at least 19 radio challenges to the Chinese Navy chopper and Chinese ships in the vicinity of Panatag.
As seen from the BFAR aircraft, a Chinese maritime militia ship painted white was anchored in the shoal, while another militia ship was spotted on its western side.
A Chinese warship with bow No. 552 was also spotted about 30 km east of the shoal, while another, with bow No. 504, was also seen in the vicinity.
Two China Coast Guard vessels were also anchored about 37 km from Panatag.
Also known as Bajo de Masinloc, the shoal located some 220 km west of Zambales province is a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos.
‘Reckless action’
It has been under Chinese control since 2012 after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy. Beijing calls the shoal Huangyan Dao, which is about 926 km from the nearest major Chinese landmass of Hainan.
Speaking to reporters after the BFAR patrol, Tarriela said the Chinese helicopter made “a reckless action” that “posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers.”
By getting as close as 3 meters, it increased the risk of a “fatal accident,” he added.
“These kinds of actions clearly indicate that the Chinese never really cared about the safety of the Filipino crew,” the commodore said.
PLA statement
Later on Tuesday, China defended the maneuvers taken by the PLA Navy helicopter against the Philippine plane, saying the latter entered Chinese airspace “without permission.”
“On February 18, a Philippine C-208 aircraft illegally broke into China’s airspace over Huangyan Island without the permission of the Chinese government. It also confused right and wrong and spread false narratives,” the PLA-Southern Theater Command said in a statement.
“The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army organized naval and air forces to track, monitor, and warn away in accordance with laws and regulations,” it added. —WITH A REPORT FROM JACOB LAZARO
