Associated Press
Australia says China warship fired laser at its patrol plane
Sat, February 19, 2022, 1:32 a.m.�2 min read
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) � The Australian Defense Department said that a Chinese navy ship fired a laser at one of its surveillance aircraft, putting the lives of the crew in danger.
The incident happened on Thursday when the P-8A Poseidon plane detected a laser illuminating the aircraft while in flight over Australia's northern approaches, the department said.
Such episodes are not uncommon as the U.S. and its allies accuse China of asserting its military might, and have taken steps to challenge Beijing's growing clout in the western Pacific and elsewhere.
The department said in a statement Saturday that the laser came from a People�s Liberation Army Navy vessel. It was accompanying another Chinese ship that transited through the Torres Strait. Both ships were now in the Coral Sea, east of Australia, it said.
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