Chinese armed trainer jets drive away Philippine aircraft over Scarborough Shoal

A Chinese pilot warned Philippine aircraft to leave the airspace over Scarborough Shoal as at least three armed trainer jets confronted them above the disputed reef.

“Philippine aircraft, you have intruded into the territorial airspace of China’s Huangyan Dao. Leave immediately, leave immediately. Otherwise, we will take measures,” the pilot said over the radio in Chinese and English.

The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command released video of the encounter on social media. The footage showed Chinese jets carrying PL-5 air-to-air missiles, while their electronic systems locked onto three Philippine aircraft. The systems identified them as a BN-2A Islander utility aircraft, a C-208 single-engine turboprop and a PA-31T twin-engine turboprop. A green crosshair appeared to track one of the aircraft.

The deployment of trainer jets may offer China a less costly way to handle increasingly frequent air confrontations in the South China Sea. Scarborough Shoal, known in China as Huangyan Dao and in the Philippines as Pantaloc Shoal, has remained a major point of friction between the two countries. China has controlled the area since 2012 and released baselines for the surrounding territorial sea in 2024. The Philippines, which disputes China’s claim, filed its own territorial sea baselines for the shoal with the United Nations in July.

“

Philippine aircraft, you have intruded into the territorial airspace of China’s Huangyan Dao. Leave immediately, leave immediately. Otherwise, we will take measures.