New photos illustrate the large shows of force in disputed skies
SUMMARY
The US military put on a show of force in China's backyard on Sept. 26, 2018, as a US B-52H Stratofortress heavy long-range bomber linked up with Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets in the contested East China Sea.
US bombers have been increasingly active in both the East and South China Sea recently following a pattern of behavior set in August 2018, when the US sent B-52 bombers through the disputed seas four times in total.
These flights come at a time of increased tension between Washington and Beijing over both economic and military matters.
A B-52H Stratofortress bomber and two JASDF F-15 fighter jets.
(PACAF photo)
The flight through the East China Sea was flown in support of Indo-Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence, Pacific Air Forces said in a statement on Sept. 27, 2018.
Source: Pacific Air Forces
A B-52H Stratofortress bomber and two JASDF F-15 fighter jets.
(PACAF photo)
A B-52H Stratofortress bomber and two JASDF F-15 fighter jets.
(PACAF photo)
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber takes off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, for a routine training mission in the vicinity of the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, Sept. 23, 2018.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Quail)
B-52 bombers flew through the South China Sea once on Sept.23, 2018, and again on Sept. 25, 2018, showing off America's capabilities over tense tides. Beijing warned the US against "provocative" military behavior in response.
Source: Business Insider and Reuters
B-52H Stratofortress bomber taking off from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Quail)
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis says that these flights are only an issue because China made these seas global hot spots. "If it was 20 years ago and had they not militarized those features there it would have been just another bomber on its way to Diego Garcia or wherever," he explained on Sept. 26, 2018.
This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.