US Ally Scrambles Fighter Jets Against Chinese Combat Drone

Japan said its air force scrambled fighter aircraft against a Chinese combat drone near its southwestern islands on Tuesday, the third time this year an unmanned aerial vehicle with military applications has been spotted operating near Japanese airspace.

A report by Japan’s Joint Staff Office, part of its defense ministry, said its forces detected a Chinese TB-001 drone, designed for long-range reconnaissance and precision strikes, operating between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Newsweek‘s map, built using Tokyo’s geospatial data, roughly traces the UAV’s hourslong sortie through the so-called first island chain via the Miyako Strait, between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa.

The drone reportedly turned northeast, passing Okinawa and Amami Oshima island before returning to the East China Sea, according to the joint staff, which said Japan Air Self-Defense Force units were “urgently launched” to meet the Chinese aircraft.

Air defense systems including Patriot missile batteries are among the known military installations on Miyako and Okinawa. Also on Okinawa is Kadena Air Base, and about 60 percent of the 54,000 U.S. troops forward-deployed to Japan.

The Japanese government has for years disclosed the positions of Chinese and Russian aircraft and naval vessels operating in its air defense identification zone and exclusive economic zone, which roughly overlap one another.

It says the intercepts are to prevent suspected airspace violations, while Chinese drones seen operating in the region also have seen an increase as Beijing’s forces modernize and move further afield.

The TB-001—distinguishable by its twin-boom tail design—was first unveiled in 2017 and has an estimated operational range of 3,700 miles. With a wingspan of 65 feet, it is designed as a medium-altitude long-endurance drone that can carry smart bombs and missiles.

A photograph released by Japan’s Joint Staff showed the UAV painted gray and displaying a nose number, although it was not immediately clear which Chinese military branch operated it.

China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the TB-001’s mission. It was the third unique UAV intercepted in Japan’s air defense zone this year, after a WZ-7 reconnaissance drone was seen in March in the Sea of Japan and a WL-10 attack drone was detected in May in the East China Sea.

Japan has detected a TB-001 in its surrounding airspace on at least seven previous occasions between August 2021 and August 2023, according to the PLATracker website, which logs Chinese military movements throughout the region. They were all photographed and intercepted to ensure they did not enter Japanese airspace.

All sightings have taken place in the East China Sea, where Chinese warships also frequently operate.