North Korean fighters intercepted a US surveillance plane and locked onto it with its fire control radar in the worst incident since a nuclear crisis erupted last year, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
The Air Force RC-135S aircraft was about 240 kilometres (150 miles) off the North Korean coast when it was intercepted by four North Korean fighter aircraft, which came to within 125 metres (400 feet) of the US aircraft, the official said.
"The fighters were armed. During the intercept at least one of the fighters engaged fire support radar and locked on to the RC-135," said Lieutenant Commander Jeff Davis.
He said the US aircraft was shadowed for 22 minutes by the aircraft.
"The RC-135 returned to base in Kadena, Japan without damage," he said.
The spokesman said it was the first such incident since August 1969 when a US EC-121 was shot down over the Sea of Japan, killing 31 people.
Tensions have been building since North Korea admitted to the United States last year that it had pursued nuclear weapons research after signing a 1994 accord freezing its atomic programme.
The North launched a ground-to-ship missile into international waters in the Sea of Japan on February 24th, sparking new security concerns from its neighbours and Washington.
AFP