2020-09-20 at 8:39 AM UTC
This is piracy, terrorism, an act of war, criminal espionage, a war crime, and a false flag attack, all wrapped into one.
A U.S. Air Force aircraft electronically impersonated a Malaysian plane while flying over the South China Sea this week. The RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft flew off China’s Hainan island on Tuesday, coming within 55 miles of the Chinese mainland.
The caper was outed on Twitter by a think tank operated by the Chinese government, which provided enough details for independent verification.
The Twitter account of the South China Sea Probing Initiative shared a pair of screenshots that showed a RC-135W take off from Kadena Air Base, a U.S. Air Force base on the island of Okinawa. The plane flew southwest, following the Ryukyu islands chain, past Taiwan, to loiter off the coast of Hainan Island.
The plane’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Mode-S number, a 24-bit identifier assigned to all aircraft and broadcast by onboard transponder, was AE01CE. The Mode S system provides big-picture situational awareness and improves aviation safety.
At some point, the plane’s Mode-S number suddenly changed, from AE01CE to 750548. That’s the ICAO number for an unknown Malaysian aircraft. The RC-135W, call sign RAINY51, then flew a racetrack pattern between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands, an archipelago in the South China Sea that China claims, but whose ownership is in dispute. Here’s another screenshot from a plane-tracking app that shows the same flight:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a33970936/us-spy-plane-impersonates-malaysian-aircraft/
The following users say it would be alright if the author of this
post didn't die in a fire!
2020-09-20 at 9:03 AM UTC
aldra
JIDF Controlled Opposition
first time I've heard of this happening, wonder if it is actually the first time or if it's just the first time anyone's noticed.
usually they just turn transponders off and ignore requests for identification
2020-09-20 at 9:08 AM UTC
Im sure theyre all false outraged, but they can put it on our tab for the pandemic.
2020-09-20 at 9:27 AM UTC
Chinese containment is good for the Indo-Pacific.
God bless the US Navy, Marines and Air Force keeping shipping lanes open and deterring China from invading its neighours.
2020-09-20 at 9:52 AM UTC
aldra
JIDF Controlled Opposition
by impersonating other aircraft and playing havoc with local air traffic control?
this opens a door that was better left closed
2020-09-20 at 9:56 AM UTC
I wonder why they chose Malaysian Airlines. They have had such a hard time, with one of their jets shot down over Donbass, and another one being flown out to sea and forever lost.
2020-09-20 at 10:52 AM UTC
What i am saying is, if you are pretending to be a commercial plane then by default you have to follow commercial airspace rules, and those rules keep everyone safe.
2020-09-20 at 2:30 PM UTC
Originally posted by rabbitweed
Chinese containment is good for the Indo-Pacific.
God bless the US Navy, Marines and Air Force keeping shipping lanes open and deterring China from invading its neighours.
The following users say it would be alright if the author of this
post didn't die in a fire!
2020-09-20 at 2:31 PM UTC
aldra
JIDF Controlled Opposition
lol yeah, he thinks not blaming China for everything is 'edgy'
2020-09-20 at 3:48 PM UTC
Since when does the US of A care about things like treaties?
