The laser caused the crew to become temporarily blinded and disoriented, putting their lives at risk
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The German government summoned the Chinese ambassador, Deng Hongbo, on Thursday after an attack in which a laser from the Chinese Navy targeted a German military aircraft participating in Operation Aspides, a maritime security mission launched by the European Union (EU) in 2024, endangering the lives of the pilots.
This operation aims to ensure the free navigation of commercial vessels in strategic areas such as the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf.
“The Chinese Army has targeted a German aircraft with a laser during the EU's Operation Aspides. Endangering German personnel and disrupting the mission are completely unacceptable. The Chinese ambassador has been summoned today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, German diplomacy announced via the social network X.
Láser militar chino.
According to the newspaper “Bild”, which cites security sources, this would not be the first incident of this kind involving the Chinese regime. Previous reports indicate that Chinese armed forces have repeatedly used lasers against Western aircraft with the aim of disorienting pilots and causing interference in the aircrafts' electronic systems, endangering their lives.
However, these so-called “blinding lasers” are not intended to designate targets for a potential missile attack, but simply to interfere with the operation of the aircraft.
"The Chinese Army used a laser to attack a German aircraft during the EU's 'Aspides' operation", the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated on X, adding: "Endangering German personnel and disrupting the operation is completely unacceptable".
In this regard, it was emphasized that "the Chinese ambassador has been summoned to the headquarters of Germany's Ministry of Foreign Affairs", although for now no details have emerged about the content of the meeting, nor have there been any official statements from the Chinese dictatorship regarding the incident.
Bandera Alemana y China.
The Chinese attack
The affected aircraft, dedicated to surveillance tasks, was part of the European Aspides mission, whose objective is to protect civilian vessels from attacks by Houthi terrorists based in Yemen. According to the German Ministry of Defense, the plane was hit by a laser at the beginning of this month, “without any reason or prior contact”, coming from a Chinese warship that had already been sighted repeatedly in that region.
“By using the laser, the warship accepted the risk of endangering people and equipment”, stated a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, who requested anonymity in accordance with government regulations.
As a preventive measure, it was decided to cancel the ongoing mission of the aircraft. The plane managed to land without incident at its base in Djibouti, and the crew is in good health, according to official reports. This aircraft, operated by a civilian company but with the participation of German military personnel, later resumed its tasks within the European operation in the Red Sea.
Germany's Foreign Office reiterated via the social network X that “endangering German personnel and disrupting the operation is completely unacceptable”.
It should be recalled that the Aspides mission, under the mandate of the European Union, is limited exclusively to the protection of civilian vessels, without engaging in offensive actions. The southern area of the Red Sea, where these operations take place, is considered high risk.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday it was reported that Houthi terrorists from Yemen prolonged an attack for several hours against a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel in the Red Sea. The group also claimed to have sunk another vessel, which could once again escalate tensions in this strategic maritime route.
