Chinese Surveillance Aircraft Enters Japanese Airspace For First Time

On August 26th, the Japanese Ministry of Defense released a statement that a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Y-9DZ special mission airplane entered Japanese airspace off the western coast of Kyushu. The interception is the first time that a People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft entered Japanese airspace..August 26th Intercept.The statement said that radar operators confirmed that the Y-9Z aircraft "violated the territorial airspace off the Danjo Islands, located about 98 miles (158 kilometers) southwest of Nagasaki Prefecture between 11:29 and 11:31 am local time. The Japanese Air Self Defense Force's (JASDF) Western Air Defense Force launched F-15J air superiority aircraft from Nyutabaru Air Base and F-2A multirole aircraft from Tsuiki Airfield to intercept the Y-9Z. The JASDF also issued several warnings and notifications to the Y-9, saying it is inside Japanese airspace and to leave the area immediately. The PLAAF aircraft left Japanese airspace by 11:31 am local time..The Y-9Z, also known as the Y-9GX-13, is an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) collection aircraft designed to collect the emissions from different sensors. Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation designed the aircraft in the early 2010s and was spotted for the first time in 2017. The Y-9Z has a radome mounted on its nose. There is a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) antenna located underneath the forward fuselage, near the Y-9's chin. A long, thin rectangular antenna is mounted on the underside of the SAR dome, in the mid-fuselage area. Four small nodes are located in the aircraft's forward fuselage before the wings. An additional four small antennae are mounted on the center part of the Y-9's wings. The Y-9Z has two large conformal rectangular-shaped ELINT antennas on both sides of its rear fuselage. The aircraft has a SATCOM antenna located on top of the mid-fuselage, towards the rear. The Y-9 has a circular Electronic Support Measures antenna mounted on top of its vertical stabilizer..Previous PLA Surveillance Flights.The August 26th incident is the latest surveillance flight that the PLA conducted in southwestern Japan. On August 3rd, a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Y-9JB/Y-9GX-8 special mission aircraft flew into the East China Sea (ECS), flew between Okinawa and Miyako Island, then entered the Pacific Ocean. The Y-9JB then flew to the southeast before flying towards and passing by Yonaguni Island and Taiwan..The aircraft flew in a circular pattern southwest of the Sakishima Islands before flying toward the Bashi Strait. Later in the day, the JASDF detected a "presumed" PLA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that flew north along Taiwan's east coast before passing between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan. The UAV then flew into the ECS before returning to the island's east coast. The drone flew in a circular pattern in the area before flying south along the coast. The Southwest Air Defense Force launched F-15Js from Naha Airbase that intercepted the UAV and Y-9JB..On August 9th, the JASDF detected a BZK-005 UAV that entered the ECS, passed between Okinawa and Miyako Island, and flew in a narrow circular pattern southeast of Okinawa. The drone flew between Okinawa and Miyako Island before entering the ECS. The Southwest Air Defense Force dispatched two F-15Js to intercept and monitor the UAV..On August 23rd, the JASDF detected two possible UAVs that passed between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan before reaching the ECS in both the morning and afternoon. The Southwest Air Defense Force launched F-15Js from Naha Airbase to intercept the UAVs..Incident Shows China's Worry of Japan's Weapon Development and Pivot to the Southwestern Region.The Y-9DZ likely violated Japanese airspace to collect intelligence on the live-fire exercises that JASDF aircraft were conducting in the area. The incident, however, illustrates China's efforts to conduct intelligence in areas it deems important to collect on. A JASDF bomb range (R-105) is located in the area where the Y-9 flew in a circular pattern, and various air to water strikes have been conducted since August 1st. While the JASDF did not say what kind of ordnance would be used, it is likely they were testing an advanced Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) or Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM)..Alternatively, the JASDF could have used the range to train pilots on new Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) related to maritime strikes. The PLAAF deployed the Y-9DZ to specifically collect intelligence related to these exercises and the weapon system used. The Y-9 would be ideally suited to conduct this mission because it can collect ELINT, Communications Intelligence as well as imagery, using its SAR and radar in the front fuselage. The PLAAF aircraft also allowed China to disrupt the planned exercises just by the Y-9DZ's presence inside the exercise area..The incident is the latest in a number of flights that the PLAAF and PLAN conducted in the area. The flights show the level of importance that the PLA places on the region for intelligence collection efforts. Japan began to reorient its military to the region in 2022 as a response to China's increased aggression in the region and to hedge against a potential Taiwan conflict. Key to Japan's plans are the various islands that make up the Ryukyu Island Chain, where the Self Defense Force is building new bases and facilities. The tracks of the intelligence collection assets, such as the BZK-005 and the Y-9GX-8, directly correlate with the islands where they are building facilities..Another aspect of the flights that illustrates their importance is the routine nature of the PLAAF and PLAN flights to the area to conduct intelligence collection missions. The routine nature of the flights indicates that the PLA likely has intelligence gaps in their knowledge regarding the JSDF's reorientation to the Ryukyus, specifically what units will be based on the islands. They would also need the intelligence collected during the flights to develop plans to conduct strikes or landings against the garrisons based on these islands in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.