US plane allegedly disguises as Philippine aircraft; DND, AFP have yet to issue statement

A US Air Force (USAF) aircraft reportedly "disguised" as a Philippine aircraft while passing over the Yellow Sea, according to the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI). 

According to a report by the South China Morning Post dated September 24, the SCSPI found out that the RC-135S reconnaissance aircraft supposedly used a hex code allocated to a Philippine aircraft while over the Yellow Sea. 

It noted that the USAF plane reverted back to its original number after completing its mission. 

The report said hex codes are assigned to all aircrafts by the International Civil Aviation Organization for the purpose of identifying them. 

The report also mentioned that the aircraft movement monitoring agency Aircraft Spots had made the similar observation. 

This was not the first time that an American aircraft did this, according to the SCSPI. It bared that American RC-135s "electronically disguised themselves as Malaysian civilian aircraft while flying close to Chinese airspace." 

GMA News Online reached the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for their comment on the matter. 

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said they are verifying first the incident with the US Embassy. 

"They are checking and will furnish us the result," Lorenzana said in a text message. 

The Chinese foreign ministry has claimed that the US military had been doing this for more than 100 times this year, according to the report. 

"Analysts said the incident suggested America was stepping up its surveillance of China and its tactics could stoke tensions between the two sides," the report stated. 

Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military commentator, claimed that the US reconnaissance missions could target the People’s Liberation Army’s sensitive electronic activities, such as its communication and radar signals.

“If a USAF spy plane is spotted within range, such activities [by the PLA] will be silenced. But if it appears to be a civilian plane, they might go on as normal and be recorded and analysed," Lexiong said in the SCMP report. 

He also noted that "although the US spy planes were an annoyance for China they always stayed outside its territorial airspace of 12 nautical miles." 

Meanwhile, USAF's Pacific Air forces head Kenneth Wilsbach was quoted in the report, saying that their aircraft had followed international rules regarding transponders. —KG, GMA News