By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Pew PatriotsPew PatriotsPew Patriots
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Reading: US, Philippine fighter jets patrol disputed South China Sea shoal
Share
Font ResizerAa
Pew PatriotsPew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Search
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
US, Philippine fighter jets patrol disputed South China Sea shoal
Tactical

US, Philippine fighter jets patrol disputed South China Sea shoal

Jimmie Dempsey
Last updated: February 4, 2025 11:08 pm
Jimmie Dempsey Published February 4, 2025
Share
SHARE

MANILA, Philippines — U.S. and Philippine fighter aircraft staged a joint patrol and training Tuesday over a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese fighter jets fired flares last year to drive away a Philippine aircraft, Philippine officials said.

The joint patrol and air-intercept drills over the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines were the first by the longtime treaty allies since U.S. President Donald Trump took office again.

Trump’s “America First” foreign policy thrust has sparked concerns among Washington’s allies in Asia about the scale and depth of U.S. commitment to the region in his new term. His predecessor, former President Joe Biden, had moved to strengthen an arc of security alliances in the region to counter China’s increasingly assertive actions.

Two U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber aircraft and three Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets joined the brief patrol and training, which involved practicing how to intercept a hostile aircraft, Philippine Air Force spokesperson Maria Consuelo Castillo said in a news briefing.

It was not immediately known if the joint patrol encountered any challenge from Chinese forces guarding the Scarborough Shoal.

“The exercises focused on enhancing operational coordination, improving air domain awareness and reinforcing agile combat employment capabilities between the two air forces,” the Philippine Air Force said.

In August last year, two Chinese air force aircraft flew close then fired flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force plane on routine patrol over the Scarborough Shoal in actions that were strongly condemned and protested by the Philippine government, military officials said.

All those aboard the Philippine Air Force NC-212i turboprop transport plane were unharmed, the Philippine military said.

The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said then that a Philippine air force aircraft “illegally” entered the airspace above the shoal and disrupted training activities by Chinese forces. It warned the Philippines to “stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hyping-up.”

The Philippine military chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner, said at the time that the incident “posed a threat to Philippine air force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction and contravened international law and regulations governing safety of aviation.”

China and the Philippines have had increasingly alarming faceoffs in the shoal, which is called Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines and Huangyan Island by China.

“We are always prepared for any contingency, it’s part of the training,” Castillo said when asked if the allied forces had prepared to address any challenge by Chinese aircraft.

“It already happened before and, as I have said, whatever the coercive, aggressive actions of any foreign party, the Philippine Air Force will not be deterred to perform its mandate,” Castillo said.

The U.S. military has reported encountering such dangerous maneuvers by Chinese air force planes in the past over the disputed waters, where it has deployed fighter jets and navy ships to promote freedom of navigation and overflight.

China has bristled at U.S. military deployments in the disputed region, saying these have endangered regional security.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan have overlapping territorial claims in the busy sea passage, a key global trade and security route, but hostilities have particularly flared in the past two years between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy forces in the Scarborough Shoal and another fiercely contested atoll, the Second Thomas Shoal.

Washington has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

Read the full article here

You Might Also Like

VA shifts survivors assistance office in effort to speed up benefits

Military families: Tell us about your household goods move

Looking Versus Seeing

SHOT 2025 Roundup: Pistol Red Dot Sights

Marine Corps missile truck first to be produced with off-road autonomy

Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We Recommend
Clint Eastwood reflects on decades in Hollywood and his drive to keep working as he turns 95
News

Clint Eastwood reflects on decades in Hollywood and his drive to keep working as he turns 95

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey June 1, 2025
Top 6 Insanely Popular 9mm Pistols for April 2025
Elon Musk denies taking ketamine in X reply to bizarre spoon balancing video
‘Violent Venezuelan alien’ with possible TdA ties caught with knife during ICE takedown in San Diego: video
Trump admin pulls Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA administrator, replacement to be announced ‘soon’
Gavin Newsom proposes $2,000 asset eligibility test to control soaring state Medi-Cal costs
Line45 Live
TacticalVideos

Line45 Live

Line45 Line45 May 31, 2025
Brain cancer patient DJ Daniel faces 3 new tumors after inspiring President Trump, law enforcement
News

Brain cancer patient DJ Daniel faces 3 new tumors after inspiring President Trump, law enforcement

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey May 31, 2025
Sydney Sweeney breaks silence on split from fiancé after 3-year engagement
News

Sydney Sweeney breaks silence on split from fiancé after 3-year engagement

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey May 31, 2025
Pew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
  • Guns and Gear
2024 © Pew Patriots. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?