Chinese forces fired flares at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Cessna Caravan aircraft on April 9, 2026, while it was conducting maritime domain awareness (MDA) flights over the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the West Philippine Sea.
Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, the PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the incident took place near Panganiban Reef and Zamora Reef and called it “a clear and deliberate act of bullying.” There was no immediate public response from Chinese officials.
This afternoon, in a clear and deliberate act of bullying, Chinese forces fired flares directly at Philippine Coast Guard Caravan aircraft while we were conducting routine Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) flights over the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG). The provocative incidents… pic.twitter.com/JjHt1KEtjR
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) April 9, 2026
Flares over Panganiban and Zamora
Tarriela said the incidents occurred near Panganiban Reef, also known internationally as Mischief Reef, and Zamora Reef, or Subi Reef.
Both features are among the reefs China has transformed into large artificial island outposts in the Spratlys. Philippine reports said the unarmed government aircraft also received repeated radio challenges during the flight.
The episode came less than three weeks after another flare incident involving a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft near Panganiban Reef on March 20, 2026. It also followed a near-collision near Pag-asa Island, when the Philippine Navy said BRP Benguet had to take evasive action after a Chinese warship made what Philippine officials described as an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver.
Manila rejects China’s claims
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which the Philippines currently chairs, is expected to finalize a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea with Beijing in 2026. The code is intended to reduce the risk of escalation, including the use of flares against aircraft.
China’s embassy in Manila has previously accused the PCG of “stirring up trouble” at Panganiban Reef and claimed that Tarriela was attempting to manufacture confrontation by conducting flights with journalists on board. Tarriela rejected those claims, saying it is China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions,” not Philippine patrols, that drive tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
The PCG has escalated its use of transparency flights in recent years as part of a broader effort to document Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea and build a public record of incidents.
The use of flares and unsafe intercepts against patrol aircraft is not isolated to the Philippines.
In February 2025, a Chinese Su-35 fired flares in close proximity to an Australian P-8A Poseidon conducting surveillance over the South China Sea. In October 2023, PLAAF fighter jets intercepted a Canadian CP-140 Aurora monitoring UN sanctions enforcement over the East China Sea in what Canadian officials described as “dangerous and reckless” behavior. Similar incidents involving Philippine aircraft near Scarborough Shoal have drawn repeated condemnation from Manila.