US F-16's and Chinese Fighters Engage in Brief Aerial Standoff Over Yellow Sea

US fighter jets stationed in South Korea and aircraft from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were involved in a brief aerial standoff over the Yellow Sea earlier this week, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency on February 20.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, February 18, when several US Air Force F-16s operating from Osan Air Base in western South Korea were conducting routine training flights over international waters.

As the American jets entered an area between the Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ) of South Korea and China, PLA aircraft were reportedly dispatched to intercept them.

South Korean officials described the encounter as a “short aerial confrontation,” emphasizing that no combat engagement occurred.

Military authorities in Seoul noted that US Forces Korea (USFK) had informed South Korean counterparts in advance about the planned training flight. However, specific details of the maneuvers—including operational objectives—were not disclosed.

Neither South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense nor USFK provided further details regarding the interaction. China’s defense and foreign ministries, along with state media outlets, have not publicly commented on the incident, Yonhap noted.

The Yellow Sea remains a sensitive region where overlapping air defense zones and regular military patrols frequently bring aircraft from multiple countries into proximity.

Earlier, US F-16 and F-35 fighter jets were scrambled after multiple Russian military aircraft were detected operating near Alaska.

Russian warplanes identified and tracked included two Tu-95 strategic bombers, two Su-35 fighter jets, and one A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft inside the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

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