A protest by China over the flight of two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3Cs near disputed Mischief Reef in the South China Sea in 2018 has brought to light the fact that the maritime patrol aircraft have been flying over the area for the past three years.
Toshi Aoki – JP Spotters, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The two aircraft were on their way home from Somalia in August 2018 when they diverted from their flight plan and approach Mischief Reef in order to avoid weather.
Kyodo News quoted anonymous sources as saying that P-3C flights near Mischief Reef have taken place over the past three years.
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