A Chinese warship used a laser against a German surveillance aircraft that was conducting operations above the Red Sea, Berlin said on Tuesday.
Though an unusual occurrence in this waterway, the US and its allies have repeatedly accused China’s military of using lasers to flash aircraft and ships in the Pacific.
A German defense ministry spokesperson told Business Insider that the Chinese warship lasered the plane “without reason and without prior contact” during a routine flight above the Red Sea in support of Operation Aspides, the European Union’s counter-Houthi mission.
The German aircraft, a multi-sensor platform that operates as a “flying eye,” was providing surveillance of the area. The spokesperson said the flight was aborted out of precaution, and the aircraft landed safely at a base in nearby Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. Its deployment with Aspides has since resumed.
“By using the laser, the warship accepted the risk of endangering personnel and equipment,” the spokesman said, noting the Chinese vessel had been encountered multiple times in the area.
In a statement on the incident, Germany’s foreign office said endangering German personnel and “disrupting the operation is entirely unacceptable.” It added that the Chinese ambassador in Berlin was summoned to the federal foreign office.
Philippine Coast Guard via AP, File
The defense ministry spokesperson said that Germany has been using the surveillance aircraft in support of Operation Aspides since October 2024. The platform is operated by a civil-commercial service provider without military personnel and is used to collect reconnaissance data and provide situational awareness for the European forces involved.
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The Chinese defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Tuesday’s incident is the latest in a long string of accusations involving Chinese lasers and foreign aircraft and ships. The US has characterized its behavior as “dangerous.”
In 2018, the US accused China of injuring pilots by using lasers to interfere with military aircraft in Africa. The Pentagon said two years later that one of Beijing’s warships targeted its surveillance plane above the Pacific Ocean with a laser.
In 2022, Australia condemned China’s behavior, accusing it of shining a laser at one of its surveillance aircraft. Australian helicopter crews previously reported being targeted by lasers in the South China Sea. The Philippines has also raised concerns, accusing a Chinese Coast Guard vessel of using a laser against one of its own ships.
Military-grade lasers can damage equipment, negatively affect aircraft flight operations, and put aircrews in danger. The US and its allies have also accused China of engaging in dangerous intercept practices, such as unsafe maneuvers in close proximity to aircraft or releasing flares or chaff in the flight paths of planes and helicopters. There have also been warship incidents. These “unsafe and unprofessional” incidents have been documented in waterways like the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
