SEOUL, February 20 (AJP) - A brief aerial standoff between U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) aircraft and Chinese fighter jets occurred over the West Sea earlier this week, multiple military sources said on Friday.
The faceoff arose when China scrambled its own fighter jets in response to a large-scale air drill conducted by the USFK.
According to the sources, about a dozen F-16 fighter jets took off from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province last Wednesday and reportedly flew over South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ), prompting China to dispatch its own.
Though the encounter briefly raised tensions, neither side was reported to have entered the other's airspace.
The air defense identification zone does not constitute territorial airspace but is established in order to identify air traffic. It is common protocol for aircraft to obtain prior permission before entering another country's air defense identification zone.
USFK reportedly notified South Korea's military authorities ahead of the drill but did not elaborate on its specific objectives. Some observers said it is unusual for USFK to conduct such a large-scale exercise near China's airspace.
The faceoff arose when China scrambled its own fighter jets in response to a large-scale air drill conducted by the USFK.
According to the sources, about a dozen F-16 fighter jets took off from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province last Wednesday and reportedly flew over South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ), prompting China to dispatch its own.
Though the encounter briefly raised tensions, neither side was reported to have entered the other's airspace.
The air defense identification zone does not constitute territorial airspace but is established in order to identify air traffic. It is common protocol for aircraft to obtain prior permission before entering another country's air defense identification zone.
USFK reportedly notified South Korea's military authorities ahead of the drill but did not elaborate on its specific objectives. Some observers said it is unusual for USFK to conduct such a large-scale exercise near China's airspace.
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