Canadian military plane ‘intercepted’ by Chinese jets during latest mission

An official within the Department of National Defence told Global News there were multiple interceptions, and that they happened “regularly” over the course of the operation.

Chinese military jets “intercepted” a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) surveillance plane during the latest rendition of a United Nations’ mission in the Indo-Pacific, the Department of National Defence says.

The incident occurred during the “most recent iteration” of Operation Neon, a UN sanctions mission on North Korea, the department told Global News on Wednesday. An official within the department told Global News that there were multiple interceptions, and that they happened “regularly” over the course of the operation.

Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) had been deployed in the Indo-Pacific region for the mission’s latest iteration in September with HMCS Vancouver and a CP-140 Aurora aircraft, the government indicates on its website. That mission wrapped up in November, and the Aurora returned on Nov. 20.

“What we can confirm is that, during this most recent iteration of Operation Neon, the Canadian Armed Forces were intercepted by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force,” a spokesperson said in an email.

“Canada has been clear in its expectation that all intercepts should be conducted in a safe and professional manner and refrain from impeding lawful operations in international airspace. The CAF’s primary concern is the safety of its aircrew.”

Over the summer, multiple sources in the CAF and the federal government told Global News that Chinese jets were repeatedly “buzzing” a Canadian surveillance plane used in the UN mission.

Sources told Global News in June that there had been approximately 60 of these types of intercepts with Chinese fighter jets since Christmas 2021, over two dozen of which have been deemed dangerous.

Those jets had been frequently flying as close as 20 to 100 feet from the Canadian plane, sources said at the time — so close that Canadian pilots can make eye contact with the Chinese pilots, and sometimes see them raising their middle fingers. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.