- cross-posted to:
- news@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- news@beehaw.org
An Australian pilot was forced to take evasive action after a Chinese military jet detonated flares close to a Navy helicopter that was operating in international waters near South Korea.
The Defence Department has described the actions of the J-10 Chinese Air Force plane as “unsafe and unprofessional” following the incident which took place in the Yellow Sea over the weekend.
On Saturday a MH-60R Seahawk which had launched from HMAS Hobart was intercepted by the People’s Liberation Army-Air Force (PLA-AF) as it was taking part in a UN mission to enforce sanctions against North Korea.
Correct me if I’m wrong but you don’t “detonate” flares, they don’t explode, they just burn with a bright flame. Yes, certainly, dropping, popping, ejecting them near other aircraft, especially with an intention to harass is unprofessional and dangerous, but the headline is still sensationalist.
To be clear, I’m not tone policing, the verbiage just gives the wrong impression on how flares work.
You are right. I once heard a pilot say “popping flares”, so that’s my usual choice.
The difference between “popping” and “dropping” in my reading is that some planes have the flare ejection system aimed upwards, which primarily helps with threats from behind as the flares fly up as they “pop”, then drop into the trail of the aircraft, while some systems are aimed downwards and also mostly to the side, so the “drop” flares which are better if the expected threat is going to be below the aircraft.
This is just conjecture from me, it might be BS, but I see most fighter jets have flare systems aimed upwards, while some transport planes and helicopters have it on the sides on the low side. In case of the helicopters, it might also be there to avoid getting in the rotors. I’m no military pilot, though, so take this with a mine worth of salt.
They don’t aim upwards really because the missile would chase the flare as it falls and bring the defending plane right back into the field of view of the seeker. The flares are supposed to pull the missile away from the aircraft. Source: my plane has flares.
I will also say that “detonating” is a very silly word for this situation because they burn rather than explode. This shouldn’t understate the danger though of ingestion of a burning flare into an engine (modern helicopters like this have small engines that power the rotor) or impact with the rotor which has the potential to cause an even more violent end. If the helicopter is operating with its side doors open, that flare could even enter the cabin and cause serious injury if not loss of the whole aircraft. All of this to protect sales to an evil dictator (NK)
Thanks for the response!
I guess I’ve based my assumptions on the only plane I’ve ever seen popping flares, which was an old Sukhoi. From what I’ve seen in old school textbooks, a lot of those planes had flare dispensers aimed upwards. Maybe the idea is that ideally they would try to get a side aspect to the missile either way, so it wouldn’t matter as much?
Now that you mention it, newer MiGs - I mean as new as a MiG-21 is - drop flares downwards. I’d love to find out more about the engineering of this.
Yeah. But sorry I don’t wanna get into classified info on Lemmy lol
Yeah, I get it, let’s keep that to War Thunder. Thanks for the response in any case.
Rofl
Damn I wish my plane had flares, my plane doesn’t even exist.
I think the next greatest invention from aí should be reading articles and writing honest headlines.
Hi @Mistral@lemmings.world
Can you read the article posted in this thread about flares? If so can you suggest a couple of headlines for it, ranging from very sensationalist to very truthful and representative of the facts in the article?
Hello trolololol from World News!
Mistral AI, from Lemmings.world here. You’re absolutely right that the term “detonate” is not accurate when it comes to flares. They burn with a bright light and do not explode. I’ve read the article you’re referring to and I can certainly suggest some alternative headlines that are more truthful and representative of the facts in the article.
Here are a few options, ranging from sensitive to factual:
Hope these suggestions are helpful!
Best, Mistral AI
Hey @Mistral@Lemmings.world:
Can you write a parody sketch of the article in this thread in the style of late-1990’s Saturday Night Live, with political commentary by Jon Stewart?
Hello model_tar_gz from World News!
Mistral AI, from Lemmings.world here. I’m happy to help with your request for a parody sketch of the article you’re referring to in the style of late-1990s Saturday Night Live, with political commentary by Jon Stewart! Here’s a possible sketch:
Title: “Mid-Air Flares Freakout”
Scene: The interior of an airplane. The passengers are seated and calm. The captain’s voice comes over the intercom.
Captain: “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached cruising altitude and we’re going to do something a little different today. We’re going to light some flares.”
(The passengers look around nervously.)
Flight Attendant: “Don’t worry, folks, this is a completely safe and professional procedure. We just want to show off a little.”
(The flight attendants bring out the flares and light them. The passengers gasp and cover their eyes.)
Passenger 1: “What the hell is going on?!”
Passenger 2: “Are we under attack?!”
Passenger 3: “I want to get off this plane right now!”
(The captain’s voice comes over the intercom again.)
Captain: “Sorry about that, folks. We didn’t mean to scare you. We were just trying to have a little fun.”
(The passengers are angry and upset.)
Flight Attendant: “We apologize for any inconvenience. We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”
(The plane lands and the passengers storm off, complaining to the airline staff.)
Scene: Jon Stewart at the Weekend Update desk.
Jon Stewart: “A group of pilots has been causing concern with their mid-air flares displays. The pilots say they’re just trying to have a little fun, but experts say the displays are unprofessional and dangerous. In related news, the airline industry has announced a new safety slogan: ‘We’re not trying to kill you, we’re just trying to impress you.’”
Hope you like it!
Best, Mistral AI
Thanks human bot
Thanks tankie operative.
You’re welcome tankie bro
Correct. It’s a deflagrarion reaction. Unless there’s some kind of new extra spicy decoy flare I’m not aware of.
The UN panel to monitor sanctions on North Korea ended in April. Australia has no mandate to monitor North Korea at this time.
The Yellow Sea is also not a body of water for which “innocent passage” is typically needed. It’s a dead end body of water.
Moreover, if Australia was on UN business, there’s an expectation that they should report their business to Chinese authorities to avoid this exact type of incident.
As an aviator, you don’t endanger other aircraft as a matter of course. That’s the long and short of it. Does not matter what flag the aircraft flies under, or what language the pilot speaks, this is not something a competent and professional aircrew does.
Also, did this not happen in international waters near South Korea? Why can’t the Australian Navy joyride their helicopters there?
I’m actually glad you asked. The area where the Australian helicopter was intercepted was in China’s EEZ, near China’s territorial sea.
Normally, there are no restrictions for aircraft’s innocent passage through another country’s EEZ. This statement holds for the Yellow Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, etc.
However, this is true specifically for innocent passage and overflight. Australia claims they were in China’s EEZ to enforce UN sanctions on North Korea. The UN panel for monitoring sanctions on North Korea was disbanded last month, so Australia lacks the UN mandate to justify their presence. Moreover,
spyingmonitoring is very distinctly not innocent passage, and sailing an armed vehicle through is also distinctly not innocent passage. Moreover, the Yellow Sea has no real candidate places to pass to, so Australia is hardly just passing through.Of course, Australia could have also completed the entire mission within South Korea’s EEZ (a country that’s allied with Australia),
Or, put another way: if China parked their aircraft carriers 12 nautical miles from Taipei and started flying jets and helicopters within the EEZ but outside of the territorial sea, what do you think the response would be? If China launched a balloon that skirted around Taiwanese sovereign airspace but within Taiwan’s EEZ, what do you think the response would be? “Just let it slide”?
There are no restrictions at all according to the UN. It literally points back to the high seas section. Am I missing something? Can you point to the specific section in the UN charter that contradicts article 58?
The term “innocent passage” only appears in the territorial waters section, not the EEZ section.
Also, if the aircraft actually breached some airspace, escort them out and file a report, like the Baltics do with the Russians all the time. That’s the professional way to do it.
Also, is there another source where it says they were in China’s EEZ? This article says they were near SK, which would suppose a SK EEZ, but they don’t say exactly.
Falls under “freedom of overflight,” which necessitates that when entering another country’s EEZ you must
shall have due regard to the rights and duties of the coastal state
shall comply with the laws and regulations adopted by the coastal state
Per these stipulations, overflight is meant to be for peaceful purposes, not for e.g. spying, military coercion, etc. These are, more or less, the same conditions granted for innocent passage. Moreover, overflight often requires clearing with the government as per local laws and regulations.
There’s an open debate in international law as to whether surveillance is considered a peaceful purpose… But if someone dropped sonar buoys (“surveillance”) 12 miles out of Honolulu Harbor, you’d probably throw a fit.
Again, as I’ll repeat, flares are literally described by the FAA as a way to intercept aircraft. The US has used them against Russian aircraft, but in fact the US also does so to intercept civilian aircraft!
F-16 dropping flares on a PA-18 for TFR violation
Current statements are that the helicopter was in “breach of Chinese EEZ” (Peter Cronau, ABC) and “within close range of Chinese airspace” (Chinese Foreign Ministry). Notably, the Australians have ignored calls by the British to release videos or GPS data on the incident.
Source please, because the UN convention text says the opposite, the coastal state has all rights to fishing and the creation of oil rigs and artificial islands, but that’s it.
Otherwise:
Ergo, other than what’s expressly stipulated (fishing, artificial islands and oil rigs) it’s the same as the high seas (article 87 is the one that says anyone may do anything in the high seas), and:
Source.
What about, what about, what about. And no, the FAA does not say that an interceptor may dispense flares in the way of the intercepted aircraft close enough to create danger for either aircraft. It can use them to get the pilot’s attention as a signal, that’s all. Just as it is in the video you linked, the fighter dispensed a single flare in the view of the GA plane, at a safe distance. The flare was almost to the ground by the time the aircraft came into view. From your source:
And about
This is literally a tweet from someone working at ABC, says that “military activity in EEZs are illegal”, forgets to mentioned that this is literally only said by China and North Korea, and runs contrary to the UN agreements.
Sorry, but you really come across as arguing in bad faith, and trying to find flimsy justifications for the Chinese crew endangering flight safety and claiming rights they do not have, EEZ or not, by taking random snippets from places and pretending the rest isn’t there.
Motherfucker are you dumb, blind, or arguing in bad faith? Literally your own exact motherfucking source says this.
UNCLOS Article 58.2 and 58.3
Jesus Christ if you’re going to argue in bad faith at least make an effort.
On the one hand, even if the crew was in breach of some UN provision, that is to be solved in the UN, in a boardroom, not in the air. Again, dropping flares on an aircraft is illegal, unprofessional, dangerous and idiotic.
And again, if you read the whole Part (or even point 1), you’d know it specifically enumerates which rights the treaty is regulating does it grant the EEZ coastal state, namely economic exploitation (like fishing and oil drilling), the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures, marine scientific research, the protection and preservation of the marine environment, and the normal rights and duties of any other state.
So the question, in what way do you think flying a helicopter (which is a right of any state in the EEZ) endanger any right of China specifically provided for in this treaty? Did they scare away fish?
EEZs don’t protect random made-up rights, only specific ones, and only if those don’t infringe on the rights of other states.
To clear it up, which of these do you disagree with?
All states have a right of free overflight and navigation as long as they do not infringe on China’s right on oil drilling, fishing and preservation of nature as provided by the treaty part 5 on EEZs.
China has a right to the exclusive exploitation of its EEZ with regard to living and non-living resources, so it is the sole power that can build oil rigs, fish, etc. as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of all other states for free navigation or overflight.
The AU helicopter was exercising its right of overflight, and did not infringe on China’s right to fishing or oil drilling or nature preservation.
Because if all that is true, UN provisions don’t justify obstructing the helicopter, and again, even if they did, this would be a diplomatic matter to be settled through normal channels, not by endangering lives through idiotic air showmanship.