Australia says Chinese warship ‘lit’ one of its planes with a laser

A Chinese warship used a laser to ‘illuminate’ an Australian Air Force jet in what Canberra called a “serious security incident” in a statement released Saturday.

“Acts like this have the potential to put lives at risk,” the Australian Defense Force said in a statement, adding that it strongly condemns “unprofessional and unsafe military conduct”.

Pilots targeted by laser attacks reported flashes that left them disoriented, pain, spasms, blurring of vision and even temporary blindness.

“During critical phases of flight, when the pilot does not have enough time to recover, the consequences of laser exposure can be tragic,” notes a document from the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Two Chinese People’s Liberation Army warships are seen in an image released by the Australian military after one of the ships endangered an Australian plane with a laser. The incident took place on Tuesday, the statement said, as an Australian P-8A reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft was flying over the Arafura Sea, the body of water between Australia’s Northern Territory and island of New Guinea to the north.

The China People’s Liberation Army (PLAN) Navy ship that aimed the laser at the Australian jet was one of two warships sailing eastward across the Arafura Sea at the time, the Australian military said.

Released photos of the Chinese ships show them to be the Hefei guided missile destroyer and the Jinggang Shan amphibious transport dock.

Australia did not say which of the two ships aimed the laser at the Australian aircraft. After the incident, Chinese ships passed through Torres Strait into the Coral Sea, according to the statement.

China did not immediately comment on the Australian allegations. The incident is not the first report of Chinese vessels pointing lasers at Australian aircraft.

In May 2019, Australian pilots said they were repeatedly targeted by commercial lasers during missions in the South China Sea. And in a June 2018 report, US military officials told CNN that there have been at least 20 suspected Chinese laser incidents in the eastern Pacific from September 2017 to June 2018.

Military tensions between China and Australia escalated and escalated in November, when Canberra said it was entering into a pact with the United States and the United Kingdom to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

On the day the sub-deal was announced, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijan said that Australia should “seriously consider whether to view China as a partner or a threat”.