Putrajaya Probed Allegation Us Jet Impersonated As Malaysian Plane

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Putrajaya has conducted an investigation into an allegation involving a US surveillance aircraft that impersonated as a Malaysian plane to spy on China's military base last September.
"The government, via the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), had probed the accusation that a US spy plane, AE01CE, was disguised as a Malaysian jet to carry out a mission at the South China Sea," Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said.
"The investigation finding of CAAM showed that the said transponder code was not registered for any Malaysian jet. This is because the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) allocated the Mode-S code for Malaysia.
"CAAM then submitted a letter to Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Sept 14, 2020, to verify (details related to the) transponder code as CAAC is the responsible party on the airspace regulation in the region," Wee said.
"To date, the matter is still under the consideration of CAAC," Wee told DAP Sibu MP Oscar Ling in a parliamentary written reply.
On Sept 10, 2020, US-based science magazine Popular Mechanics reported that the US Air Force aircraft used a transponder code to electronically impersonate a Malaysian plane while spying on China's military bases.
The RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft flew off China’s Hainan Island on Sept 8, 2020, coming within 55 miles of the Chinese mainland.
The South China Sea Probing Initiative, a think tank operated by the Chinese government, shared a pair of screenshots that showed an RC-135W take off from Kadena Air Base, a US Air Force base on the island of Okinawa.
The plane flew southwest, following the Ryukyu islands chain, past Taiwan, to loiter off the coast of Hainan Island, Popular Mechanics reported, adding that enough details were provided on Twitter for independent verification.
It was not clear as to why the US jet engaged in the deception. - Mkini

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