Chinese fighter jets simulated “constructive kills” against the HMS Richmond as it sailed through the Taiwan Strait, with a naval officer claiming they were “pretending to kill us”.
The Royal Navy warship was sailing through the Strait earlier this month when the incident happened.
HMS Richmond is a ship in the UK’s carrier strike group, with the Chinese tactic mimicking a missile launch without actually firing anything.
The navy ship sailed alongside the US destroyer USS Higgins.
China’s Eastern Theater Command accused the ships of “trouble-making and provocation” at the time.
It said it released its naval and air units to closely follow the ships.
One of the units deployed was the Chinese Changhe Z-10 fighter jet and it shadowed one of the anti-submarine helicopters on HMS Richmond.
A HMS Prince of Wales officer, leading the carrier group, told The Times that Chinese forces were “pretending to kill us”.
HMS Richmond was joined by USS Higgins as it sailed through the Strait
|
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
