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Yuanyue Dang

China’s official military paper has revealed another incident in which PLA fighter jets radar-locked a foreign stealth aircraft, four months after state media reported a similar encounter.
A social media account affiliated with the PLA Daily said in an article published on Wednesday that Eastern Theatre Command fighter jets locked their radar onto a foreign stealth aircraft at a distance of 800 metres (2,624 feet).
The article did not say when or where the encounter took place.
Military commentators speculated that the People’s Liberation Army jets involved were J-16 fighters. The foreign aircraft remains unidentified.


The PLA Daily interviewed a brigade of the Eastern Theatre Command Air Force, describing it as a heroic unit with “a rich history and distinguished combat achievements”.
Pilots from the brigade had countered “provocations by foreign military aircraft”, the article said.
During one such “engagement”, the lead PLA aircraft “swiftly adjusted tactics, proactively advancing to meet the adversary”.
The aircraft directed its wingman – a secondary plane following within the formation – to “execute a back-fly manoeuvre and create longitudinal separation”, the article said.
“The moment the stealth aircraft attempted evasive turns”, the lead PLA aircraft “engaged its attention in a close-quarters tangle while the wingman maintained radar lock”.
This encounter took place at a minimum distance of 800 metres and ultimately forced the foreign aircraft to “execute evasive manoeuvres to disengage”, the PLA Daily said.
However, the report gave no further details on the encounter, such as its timing, location, the aircraft models involved on either side or their numbers.
A radar lock occurs when a fighter jet’s radar shifts from broad scanning to a focused beam on a specific target. This typically signifies that its targeting system has successfully tracked the aircraft concerned, enabling it to aim and launch a missile or gun attack.
A distance of 800 metres is within visual range and radar lock from this far can signal an imminent threat while also being wide enough to serve as a warning shot.
The PLA Eastern Theatre Command oversees the East China Sea and is responsible for operations concerning Taiwan and disputed territories including the Diaoyu Islands, also claimed by Japan as the Senkakus.


Two military commentators with PLA links said the aircraft mentioned in the report was likely to have been a J-16.
Yue Gang, a retired PLA colonel, noted that the “current mainstay equipment” of the brigade cited in the report was the J-16 fighter aircraft.
Military observer and former PLA instructor Song Zhongping agreed, but said it was hard to determine whether the foreign aircraft in question belonged to “the US or Japanese military or other countries”.
Wednesday’s report marked the second such disclosure by official media in just over four months.
On October 3, state broadcaster CCTV reported that a J-16 fighter from the PLA’s Western Theatre Command had locked onto and driven off two foreign stealth fighters during a coastal training exercise in 2024, and that they had not been sighted over nearby waters since.
J-16 pilot Li Chao described to CCTV at the time how he executed a barrel roll, flying inverted directly above one of the foreign aircraft. At one point, his canopy was a mere 10 to 15 metres from the rival fighter, according to Li.
“After completing this manoeuvre, I locked onto both aircraft simultaneously and both [foreign jets] eventually left,” he said.
The world’s leading stealth fighter aircraft include China’s J-20 and J-35, as well as the United States’ F-22 and F-35.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the air forces of South Korea, Japan and Australia all operate F-35 fighter aircraft.
The F-22 is operated exclusively by the US Air Force, and has been deployed multiple times to its Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.




Military observers said at the time that the jets involved in the 2024 encounter were likely to have been fifth-generation F-22s.
The J-16 had its first covert test flight in October 2011 and formally entered service in 2016. It has a payload capacity of 12 tonnes – almost matching that of the F-22 – and incorporates design elements from several earlier aircraft, including Russia’s Su-27 and Su-30 fighters, as well as China’s fourth-generation J-11B fighter.
The PLA has been progressively replacing its ageing J-7 fighter fleet with advanced J-10C and J-16 multi-role warplanes.
The J-16 is considered capable of operating in coordination with the J-20 and regularly patrols the Chinese east coast and potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
Media reports on large-scale PLA drills around Taiwan late last year indicated that a J-16 fighter jet fired decoy flares at a Taiwanese F-16 fighter that had scrambled to intercept it.
Beijing views Taiwan as part of China, to be reunified by force if necessary. Most countries, including Taiwan’s major weapons supplier the United States, do not view the self-governed island as an independent state. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is legally bound to provide arms for its defence.
The US and Australia have previously accused the J-16 of engaging in dangerous manoeuvres against their military aircraft, mainly in the South China Sea.


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Military commentators say PLA aircraft cited by official military paper was likely to have been a J-16


Military commentators say PLA aircraft cited by official military paper was likely to have been a J-16.


China’s military

Chinese fighter jets locked radar on foreign stealth plane at 800 metres: PLA Daily

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Military commentators say PLA aircraft cited by official military paper was likely to have been a J-16

Military commentators say PLA aircraft cited by official military paper was likely to have been a J-16