A U.S. EP-3E aircraft patrolling off the coast of China was involved in a mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter plane. Early word has the U.S. plane landing after the collision on a Chinese Island off the coast, but there is no word on the damage to the U.S. aircraft or the fate of the Chinese plane.
The EP-3E is a ELINT collection version of the venerable P-3C Orien anti-submarine warfare aircraft still in server after over 40 years. The P-3C is based upon the highly successful Lockheed four turbo-prop powered passenger aircraft that plied U.S. airways until the Boeing 707 ushered in the passenger jet era of air travel.
The Pentagon is expected to brief the press and public on the incident.
EP-3s patrolling the edges of Chinese airspace typically fly out of Kadena AFB, in Japan and are part of the U.S. Pacific Command. The patrol aircraft do fly at the edge of airspace as part of their mission and the U.S. has warned the Chinese government that their aricraft have come too close and harassed U.S. aircraft flying in International airspace.
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