Vietnamese fighter jets collide during training
17 April 2015 5:52 AM IST
Two Vietnamese fighter jets crashed into each other during a training exercise over the contested South China Sea on Thursday, state media have reported, without confirming the fate of the two pilots.
The Sukhoi Su-22 fighters crashed offshore from southern Binh Thuan province’s coast during a diving practice, Thanh Nien newspaper said.
The People’s Army of Vietnam uses the Russian-made fighter jets for patrols over the portion of the contested Spratly Islands that Vietnam controls. The country is currently locked in a long-standing territorial dispute with neighbouring China over a number of islands in the South China Sea, which Hanoi calls the “East Sea”. Both countries claim the Paracel and Spratly Islands and often trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration and fishing rights in the contested waters.
The Sukhoi Su-22 fighters crashed offshore from southern Binh Thuan province’s coast during a diving practice, Thanh Nien newspaper said.
The People’s Army of Vietnam uses the Russian-made fighter jets for patrols over the portion of the contested Spratly Islands that Vietnam controls. The country is currently locked in a long-standing territorial dispute with neighbouring China over a number of islands in the South China Sea, which Hanoi calls the “East Sea”. Both countries claim the Paracel and Spratly Islands and often trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration and fishing rights in the contested waters.
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