Chinese fighter pilot's dangerous move at US B-52 over South China Sea (WATCH)

The United States reported that a Chinese fighter jet engaged in an 'unsafe intercept' of its Air Force B-52 in the South China Sea earlier this week. Video footage of the Tuesday night incident was released by the Defense Department. According to the Pentagon, the 38-second video shows a Shenyang J-11 pilot coming within 10 feet of the B-52, a long-range heavy bomber.

The Pentagon criticized the Chinese pilot's behaviour, stating that they "flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner" and displayed "poor airmanship by approaching with uncontrolled excessive speed." They expressed concern that the Chinese pilot seemed unaware of the close proximity that could have led to a collision.

The B-52 was conducting routine nighttime operations with limited visibility when the encounter took place. The Pentagon emphasized that the intercept by the Chinese fighter jet breached international air safety standards. Since the autumn of 2021, the Chinese military has engaged in over 180 similar interactions with aircraft from the US military and other nations, as reported by the Pentagon.