Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The aircraft was part of the EU-operation, ASPIDES.
The aircraft was part of the EU-operation, ASPIDES.
What is happening?
The Chinese military has employed a laser targeting a German airfraft, the German Federal Foreign Office said in a post on X.
Part of EU-mission
According to the post, the aircraft was part of the EU-operation ASPIDES.
The objective of the operation is to protect international sea routes in the Red Sea.
Acted as “flying eye”
According to Reuters, the German aircraft had been contributing to the ASPIDES operation by being a “flying eye”.
Using af Multi-Sensor Platform, the aircraft has been part of the ASPIDES oparations since October, assisting with reconnaissance.
Chinese warship
A ministry spokesperson told Reuters, that the event took place in the beginning of July, and that a Chinese warship, which the aircraft had encountered several times, targeted the laser at the aircraft for no apparant reason.
There had been no prior communication either.
Flight mission aborted
To protect the safety of the crew on board the aircraft, the mission flight was aborted as a precaution.
The aircraft landed safely at a base near Djibouti, a country in East Africa.
“Unacceptable”
The post on X goes on:
“Endangering German personnel & disrupting the operation is entirely unacceptable.”
Chinese ambassador summoned
As a result of the episode, the Chinese ambassador in Germany has been summoned to the Federal Foreign Office for a talk today, Tuesday.
Previous accusations of laser pointing
Previously, China has denied accusations that their military has fired or pointed lasers at US planes.
Incidents involving China and a European NATO member (Germany) are less common.
The 2020-event
Five years ago, the US Pacific fleet reported that a Chinese warship had fired a laser at a naval patrol aircraft, also from the US.
The airfraft was allegedly above international waters near Guam at the time of the incident.
Following the incident, Beijing said it did not agree with the facts laid out by the US.
EU concerns mounting
The flare up in tensions comes as concerns mount in the EU about Chinese influence on critical technologies and security infrastructure in Europe.
