Australia pilots hit by lasers during South China Sea flights

Australia’s military has confirmed that Navy pilots were targeted with lasers during flights in the hotly contested South China Sea, with informal Chinese militia vessels believed to be behind the attacks.

Beijing has become more assertive in the area, stoking tensions with rival claimants in Southeast Asia as well as Canberra and Washington -- traditionally the dominant naval and air power in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Australian Defence Force said “assets operating across the region have observed an increase in the use of hand-held lasers by some vessels”.

In this specific incident, helicopter pilots flying from the HMAS Canberra were marked with lasers as they took part in the months-long Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 exercise.