중국 인민해방군 공군의 Y-9 전자정찰기가 일본 영공을 침범

[위종민]

8월 26일 오전 중국 인민해방군 공군 소속 Y-9 전자정찰기가 나가사키현 고토시의 무인도인 단죠(男女) 군도 남동측 영공을 2분간 침범했습니다. 

일반적인 레이스 트랙 패턴상 비행경로도 아니고, 레이스트랙 패턴 돌다가 살짝 더 들어가서 영공을 들어갔다 나온 걸 보니 의도적인 침범인 것 같습니다. 공자대가 스크램블을 실시했다고 하네요. 

이는 일본이 중국 항공기가 영공을 침범했다고 공식적으로 발표한 첫 사례라고 합니다. 

또 당일 요나구니섬 - 대만 사이 공역을 중국 무인기가 통과해 동중국해로 진입했다고 합니다. 

Chinese Military Intelligence Plane Violates Japanese Airspace, Says MoD - USNI News

Chinese Military Intelligence Plane Violates Japanese Airspace, Says MoD

Dzirhan Mahadzir

August 26, 2024 1:38 PM

A People’s Liberation Army Y-9 electronic intelligence aircraft. JSDF Photo

A Chinese Y-9 electronic intelligence aircraft carried out a two-minute violation of the airspace over Japan’s territorial waters at the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea on Monday, according to Japanese officials.

Meanwhile the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps kicked off drills with South Korea on Monday while in Guam on Saturday, the U.S. Navy began exercise Pacific Vanguard 2024 with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, Republic of Korea Navy and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).

Japan’s Ministry of Defense on Monday issued a release stating that the airspace violation by a Chinese military Y-9 aircraft occurred for two minutes mid-morning. The MoD also issued an image of the aircraft along with a map showing its flight path. The aircraft was carrying out a circuit pattern flight when it made a diversion from the circuit to cross into Japanese airspace over the Danjo Islands before returning back to its track and then conducting a smaller circuit flight before heading back west towards China. The Danjo Islands are a small uninhabited island group in the East China Sea lying west of the main island of Kyushu.

The MoD scrambled fighter jets from the Western Air District of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a release stating that at 5:20 p.m. on Monday, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Masaaki Okano summoned Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, Shi Ying, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to lodge a protest.

The incident marked the first time that Japan has publicly announced that a Chinese military aircraft had violated its airspace. Chinese military aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles routinely operate and transit through international airspace off Japan while in turn, the JASDF scrambles its fighter aircraft to monitor both Chinese and Russian aircraft flying through its Air Defence Identification Zone.

The flight path of a Chinese Y-9 Electronic Intelligence on Aug. 26, 2024. JSDF Image

Japan has also seen Chinese UAVs passing near Yonaguni Island, which lies 68 miles east of Taiwan while conducting reconnaissance flights around Taiwan. On Friday, Japan’s Joint Staff Office (JSO issued a release stating in the morning and afternoon of that day, a presumed Chinese UAV flew in from the Philippine Sea and passed between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan to enter the East China Sea and in the afternoon of that day, a second presumed Chinese UAV also flew in from the Philippine Sea, passed between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan to enter the East China Sea. The release stated that fighter aircraft of the JASDF’s Southwest Air District were scrambled in response.

On Monday, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps along with South Korea kicked off Exercise Ssang Yong 24 which runs until Sept. 7 and takes place along South Korea’s east coast and around the Pohang area to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance’s combat readiness and improve interoperability according to a Marine Corps’ release which stated that this year’s exercise will involve division-level Marine Corps landing forces.

Ships taking part in the drills are amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) along with over 40 ROKN ships including amphibious assaults ships ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111) and ROKS Marado (LPH-6112), amphibious tank landing ships ROKS Cheon Wang Bong (LST-686), ROKS Cheon Ja Bong (LST-687) and ROKS Il Chul Bong (LST-688) with the remaining ships being frigates and minehunters. More than 40 aircraft including U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighter jets, ROK Marine Corps MUH-1 helicopters, and Republic of Korea Air Force C-130 transport aircraft will also take part in the drills, according to the release.

The U.K. Commando Force will also participate in the drills for the second year running and this year’s exercise will feature the prototype formation of a combined ROK-U.S. Marine Corps staff group afloat which will board Marado to command amphibious operations and test the integration of command and control capabilities, stated the release.

Ssang Yong is an annual exercise that began in 2012, but from 2018-2022, was suspended by the then Moon Jae-in administration as part of the administration’s attempt to achieve rapprochement with North Korea. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration reinstated all the U.S. – South Korean military drills that had been suspended with Ssang Yong resuming last year with the entire Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducting the drill. Boxer, based on the release, is only taking part by itself in the drill with its embarked 15th MEU elements though Boxer had earlier arrived on Aug. 9 in South Korea with amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49) to conduct drills with the ROK Marine Corps. The third ship of the Boxer ARG, amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD-25) returned home to San Diego on Aug. 13, having deployed earlier in January. The ARG had been operating in what the Navy calls a disaggregated construct complicated by a number of engineering issues that pushed back Boxer’s planned departure in April to July.

In Guam on Saturday, the U.S Navy, JMSDF, ROKN and RCN began exercise Pacific Vanguard 2024 with US Navy destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105), JMSDF destroyer JS Ariake (DD-109), ROKN destroyer ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (DDH-975), RCN frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH331) and aircraft from Commander, Task Force (CTF) 72 and Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 134 carrying out the exercise according to a Navy release.

Pacific Vanguard is an opportunity for service members from four Indo-Pacific countries to strengthen their skills in maritime operations, anti-submarine warfare operations, air warfare operations and advanced maneuvering scenarios, stated the release.

“Pacific Vanguard is another example of the continuous strengthening of personal and professional relationships with some of our closest allies,” said Rear Adm. Greg Newkirk, commander of Task Force 70 in the release, “The planning, refining and execution of tactics, techniques and procedures resident in our already interoperable, multinational force in all domains, prepare us for any future missions we might face together. Pacific Vanguard is but one of many similar exercises we are planning or executing every day in the Indo-Pacific.”