DefenseChinese J-15 fighters lock radar on F-15J near Okinawa, Japan says
Japan has lodged a formal protest after Chinese J-15 fighter jets locked their fire-control radar on Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15J aircraft twice near Okinawa on December 6.
The radar lock-ons occurred as the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning conducted flight operations in the area, which drew close monitoring from Japanese defense forces.
The two incidents took place in a three-hour span, with the first between 16:32 and 16:35 and the second between 18:37 and 19:08. Japanese authorities reported that no damage was sustained by their aircraft during either event.
The Liaoning, China’s oldest operational carrier, was operating in waters near Okinawa, an area frequently monitored by both Chinese and Japanese military assets.
In response to the carrier’s activities, Japan deployed a Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft and a destroyer to track the Liaoning and its escorts.
Japan’s government has characterized the radar lock incidents as serious developments amid ongoing tensions regarding airspace and maritime boundaries in the East China Sea.
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