Berlin (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Tuesday, the German Foreign Ministry stated that the Chinese military employed a laser to target a German aircraft participating in the EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) operation ASPIDES. This incident was publicly confirmed by German authorities, highlighting a direct use of laser technology by China against a German military asset involved in an EU-led mission.
“The endangerment of German personnel & disruption of the operation are completely unacceptable,”
The ministry said, adding that China’s Ambassador to Germany Deng Hongbo was summoned to the German Foreign Office concerning the incident.
Has China targeted other military aircraft with lasers?
In 2018, a similar situation occurred when a U.S. military aircraft flying near Djibouti was targeted multiple times with high-powered lasers believed to be coming from a nearby Chinese military base. The incidents resulted in some minor injuries to two U.S. airmen and a formal diplomatic protest from the United States.
In addition, in February 2022, an Australian P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was targeted by a military-level laser from a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessel while performing a routine surveillance flight over Australia’s northern maritime approaches.
This laser illumination occurred on 17 February 2022 while the aircraft was 7.7 km from the Chinese ship, flying at 457 m altitude, and the closest distance to the vessel was about 4 km, which is standard for RAAF operational visual investigation flights.
Australia’s Department of Defence condemned the incident as a serious safety and security breach, emphasizing that such laser use is dangerous and unprofessional, potentially endangering the lives of Australian Defence Force personnel.
