| http://www.geostrategy-direct.com/geostrategy-direct/
Chinese stopped fighter pilot from shooting down EP-3 Zhao Yu, a PLA air force pilot, disclosed last week that he had armed his air-to-air missile and was prepared to shoot down the U.S. EP-3E surveillance aircraft following the collsion April 1 with a J-8 fighter. Zhao told the PRC-owned Wen Wei Po that he was ready to fire and had asked ground controllers for permission to fire but was waved off the attack. “The only thing that saved the lives of the 24 crewmembers on the US spy plane was that the headquarters issued prompt orders to ‘disengage and return to base,’” the newspaper reported. Zhao was flying alongside Wang Wei, who was killed in the collions, and after he lost contact, Zhao circled once and as he was returning to his base on Hainnan island he saw the EP-3 again. According to the official newspaper, Zhao was “furious” and armed all the missile switches in his F-8. “I am going to shoot it down,” he reported. The command post replied: “Do not attack.” Zhao told reporters that if he had followed through in firing missiles at the plane carrying 24 American service members, he “would have wiped them all out,” he stated. “But we do not act that way,” he said. Zhao then landed on Hainan island and threw his helmet on the ground. Minutes later, the crippled EP-3 landed on the same runway and the Americans were taken hostage and the plane impounded. |
