US Navy To Deploy Anti-Ship Missiles on Subs
By Tony Capaccio (Bloomberg) The US Navy plans to begin arming submarines next year with ship-targeting versions of the widely used Tomahawk missile, part of Washington’s push to ramp up military...
A high-powered laser pointer is pointed skyward in a residential Houston neighborhood, Feb. 12, 2013. Laser strikes on pilots have jumped from 283 in 2005, to 3,591 in 2011, a 902 percent increase. Temporarily blinding pilots with laser lights is a federal crime. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephen Lehmann.)
by Kirsty Needham (Reuters) A Chinese navy vessel directed a laser at an Australian military aircraft in flight over Australia’s northern approaches, illuminating the plane and potentially endangering lives, Australia’s defense said on Saturday.
A P-8A Poseidon – a maritime patrol aircraft – detected a laser emanating from a People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLA-N) vessel, the Defence Department said in a statement.
“Illumination of the aircraft by the Chinese vessel is a serious safety incident,” the department said. “Acts like this have the potential to endanger lives. We strongly condemn unprofessional and unsafe military conduct.”
The Chinese vessel was sailing east with another PLA-N ship through the Arafura Sea at the time of the incident, the department said. The sea lies between the north coast of Australia and the south coast of New Guinea.
The defense department said that both ships have since transited through the Torres Strait and were in the Coral Sea.
Relations between Australia and China, its top trade partner, soured after Canberra banned Huawei Technologies from its 5G broadband network in 2018, toughened laws against foreign political interference and urged an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
In 2019, Chinese maritime militia vessels initiated a series of laser attacks on Australian pilots while flying over the South China Sea, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Reuters)
Join the 96,906 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 96,906 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.