Chinese, Australian Navy Helicopters Have ‘Unsafe’ Interaction Over Yellow Sea

A People’s Liberation Army Navy helicopter and a Royal Australian Navy MH-60R Seahawk had an “unsafe and unprofessional interaction” last week over the Yellow Sea.

The Australian government said its MH-60R was forced to take evasive action March 4 after the Chinese helicopter matched the MH-60R’s altitude and closed in to an unsafe distance. The Chinese helicopter then moved slightly ahead, increased speed and rolled towards the MH-60R, reads the release from the Australian Defense Department.

The MH-60R helicopter had launched from frigate HMAS Toowoomba (FFH156), and the pair were operating in international waters in the Yellow Sea as part of Operation Argos, Australia’s contribution to the international effort to enforce United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

“This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to our aircraft and its personnel. HMAS Toowoomba and its embarked helicopter acted in accordance with international law at all times,” reads the statement from the Australian government.

The Australian MH-60R was not damaged in the interaction and no Australian Defense Force personnel were injured.

“Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner. For decades, the [Australian Defense Force] has undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region, and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace,” reads the statement.

China’s Ministry of National Defense argued Australia was presenting “a complete distortion of facts and a reversal of right and wrong.” Spokesperson Snr. Col. Jiang Bin said Australia launched the helicopter from Toowoomba to conduct close-in reconnaissance under the guise of the United Nations Security Council mission. The operations in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, the spokesperson said, are continuous provocations against China and endanger China’s national security.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, China’s actions were in response to Australia’s “infringing and harassing actions,” and that the operations were proper, reasonable, professional and in accordance with international law and practice.

“It must be emphasized that UN Security Council resolutions have never authorized any country to deploy military forces or conduct surveillance activities in the airspace or waters under the jurisdiction of another country under the pretext of monitoring activities that violate the resolutions,” Jiang said.

Since 2018, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have conducted monitoring missions, operating from Japan or South Korea. Several countries have reported they were subject to harassment by Chinese ships and aircraft. Beijing, in turn, has long maintained that naval and air operations in support of United Nations sanctions on North Korea are a cover for conducting surveillance and reconnaissance on China and its military.

Toowoomba, along with HMAS Warramunga (FFH152), departed in early February as part of the Australian Defense Force’s Regional Presence Deployment program. Warramunga is now operating in the Indian Ocean after participating in the Indian Navy’s Exercise MILAN 2026 from Feb. 19-25.

Australia has reported a number of unsafe incidents with China in recent years. The latest incident was October 2025 when a Chinese fighter jet released flares near a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft over the South China Sea. Prior to that, in November 2023, Toowoomba was conducting an Operation Argos mission with divers in the water when PLAN destroyer CNS Ningbo (139) approached the frigate closely and used its hull mounted sonar, causing minor injuries to the Australian divers in the water.

Meanwhile, two Chinese Y-9 Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) aircraft conducted separate reconnaissance flights in Japan’s southwest region, prompting fighter aircraft to scramble in response, Japan’s Joint Staff Office said March 2.

On Feb. 28, two Y-9 ELINT aircraft flew in from the East China Sea and passed between Okinawa and Miyako Island to enter the Philippine Sea. Both aircraft flew parallel to the Amami Islands archipelago before turning back and returning the same way to the East China Sea, Japan’s Joint Staff Office said.

Chinese aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) routinely operate in the international airspace surrounding Japan’s southwest region. Japan maintains an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) where foreign military aircraft entering the area without notification are intercepted and shadowed by JASDF fighter aircraft.

Russian warships, including a Russian submarine, were also spotted last week moving through the waters around Japan, the joint staff office said. A Russian task group was sighted around 10 p.m. local time Thursday sailing southwest 60 kilometers northeast of Tsushima Island. The group entered the East China Sea on Friday, having been shadowed by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force fast attack craft JS Shirataka (PG-829).

The Russian task group was observed again Monday, sailing southwest around 50 kilometers north of Iriomote Island between Yonaguni Island to enter the Philippine Sea. A Japanese Maritime Patrol Aircraft shadowed the ships.

The Russian Navy Pacific Fleet confirmed submarine RFS Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (B-274), corvette RFS Gromkiy (335) and tugboat Andrei Stepanov departed Vladivostok last week for an Asia Pacific deployment. The task group will conduct a series of ship exercises, repelling air attack vehicles and uncrewed surface vehicles of mock enemies while underway, according to a Russian Ministry of Defense news release..

While not on operational missions, Russian submarines routinely transit international waters, sailing surfaced. The Russian Navy Pacific Fleet typically sends out ships and submarines on deployments to the Asia Pacific, which by Russian definition, includes South Asia.

The Russian Pacific Fleet has other ships deployed in Southeast Asia. Thursday, a surface action group that included corvettes RFS Sovershenny (333) and RFS Rezkiy (343) and fleet oiler Pechenga arrived in Myanmar for a port visit. The task group departed Feb. 12 from Vladivostok for a deployment.

Prior to arriving in Myanmar, the group made its first port call Feb. 27 to March 2 in Penang, Malaysia. Russian Navy ships routinely make port calls in Penang, which lies at the northern end of the Malacca Strait, to commemorate the Russian sailors buried there following the sinking of the Russian Navy cruiser Zemchug that was sunk in a raid by the German Navy raider Emden during World War I.

Also on Thursday, destroyer RFS Marshal Shaposhnikov (543) – which deployed in October to the Asia Pacific and Middle East – docked in Cam Rahn, Vietnam, according to a release from the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet. The destroyer recently participated in the Indian Navy’s MILAN exercise.