Chinese Fighter Jets Lock Radar on JSDF Jet

Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi announced on December 7 that Chinese fighter jets aimed their radar at an aircraft of Japan Self-defense Force. Japan made a strong protest to China, as China disputed against it. While China’s motivation is not clear so far, it is recognized in Japan that this military activity of China may reflect China’s frustration with unusual comment of Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan contingency at the Diet in early November.

In an unusual midnight press conference at Ministry of Defense, on 2 a.m. of Sunday morning, Koizumi reported that JFDF F-15 fighter jet was exposed to radar shot by J-15 Chinese fighter jets twice in the afternoon of December 6. The aircrafts were flying over international waters southeast of the Okinawa Main Island. Chinese fighter jets were installed on an aircraft carrier, Liaoning, which was in an exercise at the area.

 

A fighter jet installs two kinds of radar in itself: fire-control radar and search radar. Fire-control radar is a radio wave to grab the location, speed of flying or direction of the target. A search radar is used to find any aircraft, including commercial one, with emission of radio wave to a wide range. The radar used by Chinese military aircraft was reportedly fire-control radar.

 

Locking fire-control radar on a target can be regarded as a sign that the aircraft can be shot down, resembled as putting a finger on trigger of gun, which is recognized as a dangerous activity causing a battle. “It was a dangerous activity which went beyond necessity for safe aviation of an aircraft and extremely regrettable,” said Koizumi. “It was extremely regretful. We deal with this issue resolutely and calmly,” said Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

 

Beijing dismissed Japan’s argument as inconsistent with the fact. “We sternly urge the Japanese side to immediately cease its slanderous and defamatory acts against China and strictly discipline its front-line operations,” said a spokesperson of PLA Navy of China, Wang Xuemeng. 

 

Japan has not determined that this radar shooting by Chinese fighter jet was related to Takaichi’s comment on Taiwan contingency in which she indicated that use of force around Taiwan may consist of a survival-threatening situation for Japan to use its force as an exercise of right of collective self-defense. While China has been escalating its response to her comment through economic and cultural activities, it would be marked as a first major military measure in this bilateral row.

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