Chinese fighter jets carried out unusually dangerous manoeuvres near Taiwanese F-16 aircraft during the “Justice Mission” military exercise that the People’s Liberation Army conducted around Taiwan in December. The manoeuvres included a J-16 fighter firing flares at a Taiwanese aircraft during the exercise, according to people familiar with the incidents and a Taiwanese defence ministry report shared with the US military. One person briefed on the incidents, which occurred on December 29, said the “risky and provocative” acts followed a pattern of aggressive behaviour towards China’s neighbours in recent months. In the first incident, a J-16 jet shot decoy flares at a Taiwanese F-16 which had scrambled as the Chinese warplane was about to cross the Taiwan Strait median line, said three people familiar with the encounter.

Full report : Chinese fighter jets carried out unusually dangerous manoeuvres near Taiwanese F-16 aircraft during the “Justice Mission” military exercise.