Posted on 07/25/2011 6:43:11 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Two Chinese warplanes intercepted an American spy plane over the tense Taiwan Strait last month in China’s most aggressive challenge to U.S. surveillance flights since a 2001 collision that touched off an international crisis.
According to defense officials, the intercept took place June 29. The two Chinese jets flew from a base in China to head off an Air Force U-2 spy plane over the dividing line in the 100-mile wide Taiwan Strait.
“In general, these reconnaissance flights are conducted in international airspace, as are the PRC [Chinese] intercepts, which happen fairly routinely,” said a Pentagon official familiar with the incident.
“There is no ‘repel’ aspect to them,” he said of reports from Asia that the Chinese jets had “repelled” the U-2 flight during the intercept.
A Pacific Command spokesman declined to provide details of the incident other than to say it occurred June 29 as the Air Force was conducting a routine operation in international airspace in the area of the East China Sea.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I was a stroke of brilliance to retire the SR-71, wasn’t it?
The best aircraft that will ever be developed and we mothballed it and now get harassed by Chinese mosquitoes...
1.5 years left for a war-averse US president about to hit major issues at home.
Expect China to take Taiwan soon - like within weeks.
Those Chinese jets probably aren’t much more advance than 70’s era fighters. They never throw anything away.
Pei Ping.
That would be sad. Brave little country only 99 miles from Red China. Most of the world would not raise an eyebrow, they already recognize Taiwan as part of China.... oh wait, so does the US
We would be well advised not to underestimate the Chinese.
I'll take that bet, what will you wager?
They harass our planes but we welcome their freighters stuffed full of cheap mercantile crap into our ports.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Highly unlikely, IMO. It's just the kind of thing to tip the world economy into a tailspin. The current Chinese leadership would be in very deep trouble if their economy collapsed.
The rest of the world would only be too happy to have a scapegoat.
Technically Taiwan pretty much does also.
Their position is though - the wrong people are in charge.
Bush the first in 1989.
We're spying on them, of course they're going to follow us. What would you expect if Chinese surveillance aircraft were flying 50 miles off our coast? Would you expect the USAF not to tail them too?!?
Yeah, I know, sadly!
The Blackbird was the most awesome aircraft I ever saw!
>1.5 years left for a war-averse US president about to hit major issues at home.
Expect China to take Taiwan soon - like within weeks.<
They won’t. The oil-rich Spratly Isles means more to them but the smaller ASEAN nations ganged up on China, with a little nudge from the US, and the Chicoms couldn’t make a move because it made them look like idiots in the Philippine media. This all happened within the last week.
The Chicoms are just pissed they were not able to flex their muscles on the Spratly’s , that’s why they did this with Taiwan. It’s nice when you have Filipino in laws who tell these stuff...
As far as this civilian has understood planes can be un-mothballed.
If we’re about to lock horns with a new version of 1980’s Soviet Union, perhaps those should be refilled and put back in the air.
It was two SU-27’s (Chinese version) chasing a U-2.
I’m sure not at the same altitude, but that’s still sort of impressive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.