South China Sea crisis: Beijing accused of laser attacks on Australian military aircrafts

 

CHINESE fishing vessels have been accused of directing hand-held lasers at overhead Australian aircrafts as they fly across the contested waters of the South China Sea.

Australian Defence Forces have been increasingly targeted by hand-held lasers and military insiders blame the attacks on small Chinese fishing vessels sailing in the seas below. Earlier this year Australia’s Defence Department confirmed one of their helicopters had been targeted while travelling over the South China Sea. The incident forced pilots to temporarily return to their ship for medical check-ups, Australia’s ABC News report.

The Defence Department have said attacks of this kind are on the rise, particularly in the South China Sea.

A spokesperson said: “ADF personnel operating on vessels and aircraft have observed, in recent years, an increase in the use of low-strength hand-held lasers by some fishing vessels.

“The reason for fishing vessels using the lasers is unknown, but this may have been to draw attention to their presence in congested waterways.”

Senior defence figures have said Chinese-flagged fishing vessels operating as part of Beijing’s maritime militia are known to employ the tactic against military aircraft that transit through the South China Sea.

Doctor Euan Graham from Latrobe University in Melbourne told the news site the laser attacks are consistent with China’s efforts to control the South China Sea.

He said: “I think it’s consistent with a long-term objective on the part of China to make life difficult for foreign militaries operating in and over the South China Sea, not necessarily by force-on-force encounters but rather by making use of indirect means including the so-called ‘maritime militia’.

“It’s highly dangerous because anything that blinds the sight of pilots even temporarily will incapacitate them and increase the chance of a collision or an emergency landing.”

But the Defence Department has said no “military-grade lasers” have been used against the Australian Navy or Air Force units in the past year.

Instead, they have said the lasers interfering with the aircrafts are “low-strength”.

A spokeswoman told Labour senator Penny Wong it was important: “To distinguish between the use of low-strength lasers by fishing boats and the more powerful military-grade laser devices employed by military, coast guard and some civilian vessels.”

She added: “Australia would view reports of the more powerful military-grade laser devices being used against civilian and military vessels as deeply concerning and potentially dangerous.

“There have been no reports of military-grade lasers being used against Royal Australian Navy or Royal Australian Air Force units in the last 12 months.”

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1213678/south-china-sea-news-chinese-fishing-boats-laser-attacks-australian-planes