The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled fighter jets to intercept a People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) Shaanxi Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance plane crossing the Sea of Japan and East China Sea on August 29, Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) announced today.
This is the third time that the JASDF has scrambled fighters to intercept and monitor a PLANAF Shaanxi Y-9JB electronic warfare and surveillance aircraft.
The Y-9JB aircraft, an upgraded variant of the first-generation Y-8DZ and Y-8G electronic reconnaissance planes, first entered service with the PLANAF in 2004. In 2015, the aircraft was reportedly retrofitted with a 5,000-horsepower 6C turboprop engine with six-blade composite propellers to enhance its range and endurance.