PLA helicopter in close encounters with foreign aircraft over East China Sea

The PLA has reported a series of helicopter encounters with a foreign military over the East China Sea, with Chinese and foreign aircraft coming as close as 10 metres (33 feet).

The “provocations by a foreign force” happened 11 times over 10 consecutive days, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday, without saying when or where the encounters took place or which “foreign force” was involved.

It said the Chinese helicopter was flown by Wang Ling, a pilot from the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force aviation corps of the Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

“When I received the mission, I was ordered to take off combat-ready because some foreign force was approaching our coastline,” Wang was quoted as saying.

PLA planes and warships have had frequent close encounters with foreign aircraft and vessels in recent years, some of which have been reportedly “dangerously close”.

Nevertheless, it is unusual for the ground force’s aviation corps to conduct interceptions over the water. Such an event could only happen very near the Chinese coast due to the limited range of the force’s land-based helicopters.