Naval Air: China Teases Japan

Archives

April 26, 2006: Chinese naval patrol aircraft are getting very aggressive around Japanese air space. So far this year, the Japanese Air Force has scrambled interceptors 107 times, to intercept Chinese Y-8 maritime patrol aircraft approaching Japanese air space. This happened only 13 times for all of 2005. The revealed something quite different. The Y-8 (Yunshuji-8) is a Chinese version of the Russian An-12 transport (which is very similar to the U.S. C-130). A number of these Y-8s have been operating in the Parcel and Sprately Islands for several years, conducting oceanographic surveys. The islands, disputed among a number of countries (China, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc.), are reportedly sitting on top of vast untapped oil reserves. Y-8 flights over the area are routinely monitored by several of the other nations with claims on the islands, but until recently the Chinese aircraft did not deliberately fly so close to Japanese territorial waters and airspace. The Chinese may simply be testing Japanese air defenses, which is one of the things naval patrol aircraft do.

 


Article Archive

Naval Air: Current 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 


X

ad
0
20

Help Keep Us Soaring

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month.

Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage. A contribution is not a donation that you can deduct at tax time, but a form of crowdfunding. We store none of your information when you contribute..
Subscribe   Contribute   Close