The American EP-3 aircraft at the centre of a standoff between China and the US have frequently entered China's air space at its southeastern Taiwan Island to spy on the island, it was reported Sunday.


The Chinese-language United Daily News said the recent collision of an EP-3 aircraft and a Chinese fighter plane off the south coast of China has rekindled the memories of mid-air interceptions of US spy planes by Taiwan pilots.


"Much of the time EP-3s showed up off southeastern part of the island to gather electronic information when the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology test fired missiles," the paper said, quoting retired air force pilots. It referred to the Chiupeng base in the southern-most Pingtung county, where the Chungshan-designed surface-to-air Tienkung and ship-to-ship Hsiungfeng missiles were test fired.


The paper said that initially Taiwan's air force despatched single-seated fighters to drive away the EP-3s but later had to send twin-seat fighters after they found single-seat fighters were sometimes tricked while busy pictures on intruders.


One retired military pilot said some EP-3s would play a game of cat-and-mouse with tracing fighters despatched to chase them away.


They would sometimes unexpectedly slow down or shut off two of their four turboprop engines, he said. Jet-fighters can stall if they slow their speed dramatically.


The pilot said another EP-3 trick was to make a sharp turn.


"Maybe the American pilots thought interceptors would immediately fly away when EP-3 made a sharp turn, so they time and again played the tricks," one Taiwan pilot was quoted as saying.


He said the ill-fated Chinese pilot who is missing after his jet crashed during the collision last Sunday might have failed to notice a sharp turn by the EP-3, bumped by the US aircraft and crashed into the sea. 


(Agencies)