China Practices Intercepting U.S. Stealth Fighters

The Chinese People's Liberation Army recently staged an intercept exercise targeting the U.S.' latest stealth fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor, Hong Kong's Apple Daily reported Thursday.

Japanese media on Oct. 3 reported that the Japanese and U.S. militaries will carry out a joint exercise to practice recapturing the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyutai Islands in November, in case the Chinese capture them in a surprise attack. It said the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington and F-22 Raptors will take part in the exercise.

On Oct. 8, five days after the report, a Chinese Air Force brigade in the Chengdu military district practiced firing a Hong Qi No. 9 missile, China's newest ground-to-air missile, to hit a target assumed to be an F-22, the Apple Daily said.

The Science and Technology Daily, published in Beijing, wrote a story about the drill. "Right after the radar sent the information on the location of the stealth fighter to the missile launch team, the Hong Qi No. 9 missile flew into the clouds and an explosion was heard only 40 seconds later. There was loud applause for the success of the exercise," it said.