US spy planes made record number of sorties near China last month, Beijing think tank says
- American aircraft carried out 94 reconnaissance flights over the South China Sea near the Chinese coast in November, according to the SCSPI
- It said a P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew over the Taiwan Strait on Monday and was 29km (18 miles) from the mainland’s territorial waters
That represents an increase of nearly 30 per cent from the previous high of 75 US reconnaissance flights logged by the think tank in February. It began reporting the data in June 2019.
The SCSPI said most of the November activities – nearly 80 per cent – involved the P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft. Other planes used for the missions were the MQ-4C unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and the E-8C air-to-ground surveillance aircraft.
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It also said the US had carried out its highest number of reconnaissance flights near China in a single day last month. The US sent 10 spy planes over the South China Sea on November 4, while the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group sailed through the region.
American spy planes also expanded their reconnaissance range last month, according to the think tank, citing a flight over the Taiwan Strait by a US Navy P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft on November 29.
