Australia PM Calls Chinese Navy Incident That Injured Diver ‘Dangerous’

SYDNEY, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a Chinese warship acted in a dangerous manner during an incident with an Australian navy vessel that injured a military diver, his first…

SYDNEY, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a Chinese warship acted in a dangerous manner during an incident with an Australian navy vessel that injured a military diver, his first...

Australia Criticises China For ‘Unsafe, Unprofessional’ Naval Interaction

SYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Australia’s government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an “unsafe and unprofessional” interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese war…

SYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Australia’s government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an “unsafe and unprofessional” interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military...

Philippines To Continue South China Sea Supply Missions Despite Chinese Boats

MANILA, Nov 11 (Reuters) – The Philippines’ coast guard said on Saturday it would maintain its regular supply missions to troops stationed on a disputed atoll in the South China Sea even…

MANILA, Nov 11 (Reuters) – The Philippines’ coast guard said on Saturday it would maintain its regular supply missions to troops stationed on a disputed atoll in the South China Sea even...

Race To Fix Crumbling Ship Threatens Conflict In South China Sea

By Philip J. Heijmans and Cliff Venzon (Bloomberg) –Even as concerns mount in the US over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the flashpoint most likely to spark a conflict between…

By Philip J. Heijmans and Cliff Venzon (Bloomberg) –Even as concerns mount in the US over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the flashpoint most likely to spark a conflict between...

China, Philippines Trade Accusations Over South China Sea Clash

BEIJING/MANILA, Oct 22 (Reuters) – China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked Philippine boats supplying forces there on Sunday in…

BEIJING/MANILA, Oct 22 (Reuters) – China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked Philippine boats supplying forces there on Sunday in...

Philippines Sees Resurgence Of Chinese Ships In Disputed Waters

By Ian Sayson Sep 16, 2023 (Bloomberg) –The Philippine armed forces said it’s doubling efforts on maritime surveillance after detecting a “resurgence” of Chinese vessels around the West Philippine Sea. After…

By Ian Sayson Sep 16, 2023 (Bloomberg) –The Philippine armed forces said it’s doubling efforts on maritime surveillance after detecting a “resurgence” of Chinese vessels around the West Philippine Sea. After...

Deep Dive Into China’s Move To Build Shadow Fleet Tankers

by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Irene Ang at Tradewinds is reporting that Kurow Shipping, a mysterious tanker company with ties to the Shadow Fleet of tankers transporting Russian oil has reportedly…

by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Irene Ang at Tradewinds is reporting that Kurow Shipping, a mysterious tanker company with ties to the Shadow Fleet of tankers transporting Russian oil has reportedly...

Chinese, Russian Warships Meet Near Japan for Naval Exercise

Chinese and Russian warships linked up in the Sea of Japan Wednesday for the People’s Liberation Army Northern Theatre Command led Chinese-Russian “Northern Interaction 2023,” reported the PLA Daily. The five-ship Chinese Surface Action Group (SAG) consists of destroyers CNS Guiyang (119) and CNS Qiqihar (121), frigates CNS Zaozhuang (542) and CNS Rizhao (598) and […]

PLA Navy Ships Underway off Japan

Chinese and Russian warships linked up in the Sea of Japan Wednesday for the People’s Liberation Army Northern Theatre Command led Chinese-Russian “Northern Interaction 2023,” reported the PLA Daily.

The five-ship Chinese Surface Action Group (SAG) consists of destroyers CNS Guiyang (119) and CNS Qiqihar (121), frigates CNS Zaozhuang (542) and CNS Rizhao (598) and fleet oiler CNS Taihu (889). The Russian Navy SAG consists of destroyers RFS Admiral Panteleyev (548) and RFS Admiral Tributs (564) and corvettes RFS Gremyashchiy (337) and RFS Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov (339).

Rear Adm. Valery Kazakov, commander of the Primorsky Flotilla of the Russian Navy Pacific fleet, commands the Russian SAG and serves as deputy commander for the exercise. The PLA Daily reported that Kazakov and his staff boarded Qiqihar, which will serve as the command ship. Land-based aircraft from both countries will also participate

Japan tracked the PLA SAG as it sailed through the Tsushima Strait on Monday along with the transit of a Dongdiao-class surveillance ship the day before, officials said.

On Sunday, surveillance ship Kaiyangxing (796) was sighted sailing northeast in an area 93 miles southwest of Tsushima. From Sunday to Monday, it sailed northeast through the Tsushima Strait and then sailed into the Sea of Japan.

On Monday, the PLAN SAG had been sighted sailing northeast in an area 80 miles southwest of Tsushima and the PLAN then sailed into the Sea of Japan. Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) fast attack craft JS Otaka (PG-826), minesweepers JS Yakushima (MSC-602) and JS Toyoshima (MSC- 685) and a JMSDF P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) of Fleet Air Wing 1, based at JMSDF Kanoya Air Base on the main island of Kyushu, monitored the PLAN ships.

JMSDF

On Tuesday, Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Russia and China had been strengthening military cooperation in recent years with joint bomber flights and at-sea exercises

“The Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces will continue to take a keen interest in the military developments of China and Russia in the vicinity of Japan, and will make every effort to collect and analyze information, and will take all possible measures in surveillance,” Hamada said.

At 8 p.m. Friday, Dongdiao class surveillance ship Yuhengxing (798) was sighted sailing northwest in an area 93 miles southeast of Miyako Island and subsequently sailed northeast through the Miyako Strait to enter the East China Sea, according to a Tuesday JSO release. Minesweeper Toyoshima shadowed the PLAN ship and that Yuhengxing had sailed east through the Osumi Strait on June 28.

On Tuesday, at 8 a.m., PLAN destroyer CNS Xiamen (154) and frigate CNS Yangzhou (578) were sighted sailing south in an area 130km northeast of Miyako Island and then sailed south through the Miyako Strait to enter the Pacific Ocean. A JMSDF P-3C Orion MPA from Fleet Air Wing 5 based at Naha Air Base, Okinawa, monitored the PLAN ships, according to a JSO release.

The two PLAN ships were sighted sailing north at 4 a.m. Wednesday in an area 44 miles southwest of Yonaguni Island, which lies 67 miles east of Taiwan’s east coast and is the westernmost Japanese inhabited island, according to a Wednesday JSO release.

The PLAN ships sailed north in the waters between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan and subsequently sailed north in an area 80km west of Uotsuri Island, part of the disputed Senkaku Islands administered by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan. The two PLAN ships then sailed further north in the East China Sea. The JSO release stated that destroyer escort JS Abukuma (DE-229) and a P-3C Orion MPA of Fleet Air Wing 5 shadowed the PLAN ships.

Japan Releases Fighter Scramble Data Against Chinese Aircraft

Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) fighters conducted 238 scrambles in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2023, according to data released Friday by the Joint Staff Office of Japan’s Ministry of Defense. Of the 238 scrambles, 66 percent were against Chinese aircraft and 31 percent against Russian aircraft with the remaining 3 percent due […]

Chinese H-6 and Russian T-95 bombers flying near Japan. JSDF Photo

Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) fighters conducted 238 scrambles in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2023, according to data released Friday by the Joint Staff Office of Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

Of the 238 scrambles, 66 percent were against Chinese aircraft and 31 percent against Russian aircraft with the remaining 3 percent due to other aircraft, according to the data.

The first quarter data, which goes from April 1 to June 30, is about the same as the previous year, when there were 235 scrambles in the first quarter of FY 2022, according to the JSO.

Scrambles against Chinese aircraft decreased compared to the previous year’s first quarter. Japanese aircraft scrambled 157 times in FY 2023’s first quarter compared to 171 in the same period during FY 2022. However, the JSO still considered the number high, according to a JSO statement released with the data.

Scrambles against Russian aircraft increased between the two quarters with 71 in FY 2023 compared to 58 in FY 2022.

Japan recorded one scramble against Taiwanese aircraft for the first quarter of 2023 compared to none in the same period in FY 2022. It also recorded seven scrambles against other, unidentified countries, one more compared to the previous period.

When the JSO broke the scrambles down by air district commands, the Southwest Air District had the most at 146. However, that was down from 152 compared to the same period in FY 2022.

The Northern Air District scrambled 48 times, an increase of three over FY 2022, the Western Air District saw 26 scrambles compared to 33 and the Central Air District increased to 18 from five in the previous year.

The JSO release noted that among the air activities noted in the first quarter of FY 2023 were two consecutive days of long-range joint flights by H-6 Chinese bombers and Tu-95 Russian bombers in the East China Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) aircraft carrier CNS Shandong (17) conducted a total of 620 launches and recoveries of fighter aircraft and helicopters in the Philippine Sea.

During the same period, the JSO also reported the first confirmed flight by a presumed Chinese Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan and the first sighting of a new variant of the Chinese Y-9 Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) aircraft.

The JSO also listed 17 events of what it considered unusual flights, including four J-15 fighter launches and recovery from Shandong during the month of April. The JSO also listed two events of a pair of Chinese H-6 bombers flying from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean and returning the same way on April 18 and 21 respectively, as well as an event of a presumed Chinese UAV on April 27 flying in from the Pacific Ocean, then between Yonaguni Island and then flying into the East China Sea and on May 2.

The list also included another presumed Chinese UAV flight in from the East China Sea to between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan before entering into the Pacific Ocean and a Chinese BZK-005 UAV that flew over the East China Sea on May 15.

A Joint Russia-China Bomber flight on June 6 involved two Chinese H-6 bombers flying from the East China Sea to the Sea of Japan before joining two Russian Tu-95 bombers to fly together to the East China Sea while two presumed Chinese fighter aircraft flew in the East China Sea.

The next day two Chinese H-6 bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers flew from China for a long-distance flight over the Pacific Ocean before turning back with the Russian bombers to fly over the Tsushima Strait and the Sea of Japan before heading to the Russian mainland.

Four presumed Chinese fighter aircraft escorted the bombers until they entered the Pacific, and two presumed Chinese fighter aircraft joined the bombers when they returned to the East China Sea.

Another two presumed Chinese fighter aircraft escorted the Russian bombers to the Tsushima Strait while another seven presumed Chinese fighter aircraft flew over the Tsushima Strait. Two presumed Russian fighters joined the Russian bombers over the Sea of Japan while another Russian aircraft flew over the Sea of Japan.

On June 8, a new variant of the Chinese Y-9 ELINT aircraft was sighted over the Pacific Ocean. Although the JSO did not state the specific variant, the aircraft has been said to be the Y-9DZ that was publicly unveiled in 2019.

The remaining notable events consist of four instances of Russian IL-20 ELINT aircraft on April 14, April 18, May 25 and June 14 with the May 25 flight involving an IL-20 flying over the Sea of Okhotsk and Pacific Ocean while a second IL-20 flew over the Sea of Japan. The other dates saw an IL-20 flying over the Sea of Japan.

The final notable event was on June 29 when a single Z-9 helicopter launched from People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) destroyer CNS Baotou (133) when the destroyer was located 40 km south of the Kusagaki islets, which are part of Japan’s Nansei Islands chain that extends in an arc from southwest of the main island of Kyushu towards Taiwan.

In his regular Friday press conference, Japan Minister of Defense Yasukazu Hamada, in announcing the scramble figures, said the Japan MOD and military would take all possible measures to ensure vigilant surveillance along with strictly enforcing measures against airspace violations.

Philippines Raises Alarm Over Increase In Chinese Boats In Disputed Sea

MANILA, July 7 (Reuters) – The Philippine military on Friday reported an “alarming” increase in the number of Chinese fishing vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea, which it said…

MANILA, July 7 (Reuters) – The Philippine military on Friday reported an “alarming” increase in the number of Chinese fishing vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea, which it said...