서사군도에서 초계중인 호주공군 P-8의 30m앞에서 플레어를 투하한 중국 공군의 J-16

[위종민]

화요일 중국 공군의 J-16이 남중국해 서사군도 근방에서 초계중인 호주 공군 P-8A 포세이돈 초계기의 30m 앞에서 플레어를 투하했다고 합니다. 

호주 공군은 1981년 Operationg Gateway라는 작전명으로 말레이시아 버터워스 공군기지에서  P-3C로 북인도양과 남중국해에서 러시아 선박 감시를 위해 초계를 실시했다고 합니다. 

중국 공군은 작년 5월 서해에서 호주 해군의 MH-60R 헬기 앞에서 플레어를 투하한 적이 있었고, 2022년에도 J-16이 호주 공군의 P-8A를 대상으로 위협적인 기동을 실시하고 채프를 살포한 적이 있었습니다. 

호주는 사건이 일어난 정확한 위치를 공개하지 않았지만, 중국 외교부가 목요일 일일 기자회견에서 요격이 파라셀 제도 주변에서 일어났다고 확인했네요. 

또한 호주 해공군은 호주 북방 해역에서 활동중인 중국 해군 기동전대를 감시중이라고 목요일 밝혔습니다. 기동전대는 순양함 CNS Zunyi (107), 호위함 CNS Hengyang (568), 유류보급함 CNS Weishanhu (887)로 구성돼 있습니다. CNS Hengyang은 화요일 토레스 해협을 통과해 호주 북동쪽 해역에서 CNS Weishanhu와 합류했고, CNS Zunyi는 호주 EEZ 바깥 북쪽 수역에 있다고 합니다. 호주 해군의 호위함 FFH151 HMAS 아룬타가 CNS Hengyang을 추적중이이고, P-8A가 정찰비행을 수행했다고 하고 호주 동쪽 해역에 다른 P-8과 호주 해군 함정들이 대기중이라고 합니다. 

Chinese Fighter Harassed Australian Surveillance Aircraft Over South China Sea, Official Say - USNI News

Chinese Fighter Harassed Australian Surveillance Aircraft Over South China Sea, Official Say

Dzirhan Mahadzir

February 13, 2025 2:51 PM

Australian P-8A. RAAF Photo

A People’s Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighter released flares 30 meters away in front of a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon on patrol in the South China Sea on Tuesday prompting the Australian government to express its concern to China on such actions.

“The PLA-AF aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF P-8A aircraft. This was an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel,” reads a Thursday statement from the Australia Defence Department.

“Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner.”

Australia’s longest-running surveillance operation in the region has been Operation Gateway, which began in 1981 with RAAF P-3C Orion MPAs staging out of Royal Malaysian Air Force Butterworth Air Base. The purpose was to conduct surveillance operations on Russian ships during the Cold War and evolved into maritime surveillance patrols in the North Indian Ocean and South China Sea. The missions are flown now by RAAF P-8As following the retirement of the P-3.

In May, a PLAAF fighter aircraft dropped flares in front of a Royal Australian Navy MH-60R helicopter over the Yellow Sea. In 2022, a PLAAF J-16 carried out unsafe manoeuvers and released chaff in front of an RAAF P-8A over the South China Sea. Australia protested both incidents. Neither incident caused damage or injury to ADF personnel and assets.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles provided more details on Tuesday’s incident in a Thursday interview with Australian television channel Sky News Australia. The P-8A was challenged in international airspace by two PLAAF J-16 fighters and there were a number of interactions between the P-8A and the J-16 fighters.

“What’s important, though, is that the proximity of the J-16 was so close that there’s no way you could have been able to ensure that the flares did not hit the P-8. Now, as it turned out, they didn’t. But had any of those flares hit the P-8, that would have definitely had the potential for significant damage to that aircraft,” Marles said.

Chinese J-16 in flight. PLAAF Photo

As a result, the Australian government declared the action unsafe and made representations about its concerns to the Chinese government both on Wednesday and Thursday in Canberra and Beijing.

“Clearly our defense forces are going to interact with each other. We know that, but what’s really important is that when they do, they do so in a manner which is safe and professional and this wasn’t,” he said.

Neither Marles nor the defense release provided the exact location of the incident, but China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its daily press conference on Thursday, said the intercept took place around the Paracel Islands.

“The Australian military airplane deliberately intruded into China’s airspace over Xisha Qundao (Paracel Islands) without China’s permission. Such move violated China’s sovereignty and undermined China’s national security,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun, according to a transcript.

“China has lodged serious protests with Australia and urged it to stop infringing on China’s sovereignty and making provocations and stop disrupting peace and stability in the South China Sea.”

Meanwhile, Australian naval and air units are monitoring a PLAN task group operating in the waters north of Australia, according to a Thursday release.

The release stated that the PLAN task group consisted of cruiser CNS Zunyi (107), frigate CNS Hengyang (568) and fleet oiler CNS Weishanhu (887), and that it travelled through Southeast Asia before entering Australia’s maritime approaches, with Hengyang transiting the waters to Australia’s north.

“Defense will continue to monitor the activities of the task group in Australia’s maritime approaches with a combination of capabilities, including air and maritime assets,” reads the release.

During his interview with Sky News Australia, Marles said the PLAN task group had come to the Indonesian archipelago and Hengyang transited the Torres Strait on Tuesday and has now rendezvoused with Weishanhu off the north east coast of Australia, but within the Australian exclusive economic zone (EEZ), while Zunyi was further north and outside the zone.

He said frigate HMAS Arunta (FFH151) was shadowing Hengyang and that an RAAF P-8A had already conducted a reconnaissance flight, while other P-8s and RAN ships stationed along the east coast of Australia were on standby.

“We’ll continue to monitor their activities, which is very much within our rights in a manner of course, which is safe and professional,” Marles said.

파라셀 제도(서사 제도)와 토레스 해협의 위치

[백선호]

이제는 중국 군함들이 오스트렐리아 코앞까지 가는군요.

[위종민]

호주는 남중국해와 서해에 항공기를 보내고 있고요. 경쟁이 참 치열합니다.

[강준구]

하이난에 전략원잠을 배치해 놓고 있는데, 그 앞을 포세이돈이 날아다니니 좀 심기가 불편했을 것 같습니다. 다만 베트남 본토에서 율린 기지까지 300km도 안되는 거리라 외부 위협에는 매우 쉽게 노출되는 상황이네요.
칭다오/대련 쪽도 평택에서 직선 거리로 500km 정도라 그닥 안전하지 않지만, 하이난은 더 심하네요.

[위종민]

전략원잠을 깔아 둘 bastion으로 쓰기엔 수심도 낮고 베트남이랑 필리핀과 가까워서 그다지 적합하지 않은 곳 같은데 전략원잠을 저 곳에 배치했네요.

서사군도와 남사군도 환초에 깔아둔 전진기지들이 구단선 확보, 양안전쟁시 호주나 미군 증원병력 차단 뿐만 아니라 전략원잠 보호용일 수도 있겠습니다.

[강준구]

중국은 사실 전략원잠을 보유하더라도, 러시아의 북해/북극해 처럼 안전하게 잠수함을 띄워놓을 곳이 없습니다.
북해, 동해, 남해 사령부만 하더라도 죄다 잠재적국의 공격기 행동 반경 안에 들어오는 수준이고, 말씀하신 것과 같이 수심이 모두 얕아서 쉽게 발각 될 수 있습니다.
결국 내몽골이나 티벳/신장에 가까운 곳에 ICBM 기지를 만들어 놓는 게 여러모로 안전해 보입니다.

[위종민]

전략원잠 성능이 좋아지고, 대만을 확보한다면 bastion에 잠수함을 두는 것 보다 상시 2, 3척을 태평양이나 인도양 저 멀리 보내서 초계시키는 게 더 안전할 수도 있겠다 싶습니다.

[위종민]

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/chinas-ships-near-australia-and-its-challenges-in-the-south-china-sea-get-used-to-it/

2월 21일 ~ 2월 22일에 걸쳐 호주 동쪽 호주 - 뉴질랜드 사이의 타스만 해에서 실사격 훈련을 실시했네요. 국제법을 지키긴 했지만, 사전 통지를 대충 해서 민간항공기들이 긴급히 비행경로를 바꿨다고 합니다.