A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a B-52 bomber, U.S. military says

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flies during the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2023 at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, South Korea, on Oct. 17, 2023. (AP)

BANGKOK — A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of an American B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, nearly causing an accident, the U.S. military said, underscoring the potential for a mishap as both countries vie for influence in the region.

In the night intercept, the Shenyang J-11 twin-engine fighter closed on the U.S. Air Force plane at an "uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of a collision," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement released late Thursday.