Chinese military warships are being accused of deliberately interfering with aircraft communications systems and ordering pilots to make changes to flight paths – while planes are in midair.
Pilots have been reporting very high frequency (VHF) and GPS jamming interference while flying over Chinese warships located in the Pacific region.
Australia’s Qantas Airways has now issued new flight-standard operational orders for pilots to deal with the safety concerns.
The move follows a safety bulletin first issued by The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) on March 2.
The bulletin warned "of some airlines and military aircraft being called over 121.50 or 123.45 [radio frequencies] by military warships in the Pacific region."
The 121.50 frequency is considered a back-up emergency and can be used for distress signals or urgent communications, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA states 121.50 is a VHF station that every air-traffic control center worldwide keeps tabs on.
Station frequency 123.45 is used as an air-to-air communication channel among pilots to deal with any flight problems that may arise.
The IFALPA bulletin found “in some cases, the flights were provided vectors to avoid the airspace over the warship,” via the frequencies.
Even more dangerous, the IFALPA stated, “We have reason to believe there may be interferences to GNSS [global satellite navigation systems] and RADALT [radio altimeters] as well.”
Radio altimeters are a crucial tool used by pilots to determine the aircraft’s altitude by measuring the distance between the airplane and the ground, including other objects, such as buildings and other aircraft.
The GNSS provides positioning, navigation, and timing information to pilots, according to the FAA.
In the new operating order, Qantas confirmed its “aircraft have experienced interference on VHF from stations purporting to represent the Chinese military.”
“In addition group aircraft have experienced GPS jamming suspected to originate from the warships operating off the northwest shelf of Australia,” the order stated.
This incident may be seen by some as proof of a strategic build-up by China's military to the Communist regime's possible invasion of Taiwan.
In February, CIA director William Burns announced Chinese President Xi Jinping had instructed the Chinese military leadership to be ready by 2027 to invade Taiwan. although during the same statement he added "that doesn't mean that he's decided to."
IFALPA said it had been alerted to Chinese military warships in the Asia-Pacific region, notably the South China and Philippine seas and the Indian Ocean.
Last week, the president of the Federated States of Micronesia put out an open letter addressing suspected Chinese maritime transgressions in the region.
The letter accused China of political warfare, including deep-seas espionage that could lead to the takeover of the federation’s fiberoptic and telecommunication systems.
IFALPA states they are “engaging with the IATA [International Air Transport Association] and Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) to ensure that all parties are aligned with our procedures and to prevent this from occurring in the future.”
IFALPA is urging pilots not to respond to any warships in the region attempting communication, but to report attempted contact to air traffic control and other aviation authorities.
Qantas says it has not experienced any safety issues related to the incident so far.
The group's portfolio includes Qantas Airways, Jetconnect, Jetstar Airways, and several freighter airlines. The company also holds close to 50% interest in Fiji Airways.
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