In a late afternoon press release on Monday 6 May the Department of Defence said that an MH-60R Romeo helicopter operating from HMAS Hobart was intercepted in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLA-AF).
The incident occured on 4 May 2024, while HMAS Hobart was in international waters in the Yellow Sea undertaking routine activities as part of Operation Argos, Australia’s contribution to the international effort to enforce United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
During these activities, HMAS Hobart's embarked MH-60R helicopter 'Voodoo' was intercepted by a PLA-AF fighter aircraft which released flares along the MH-60Rs flight path. "This was an unsafe manoeuvre which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," the Department of Defence said in a press release.
"The Australian Government has expressed its concerns to the Chinese Government. While there were no injuries sustained by ADF personnel or damaged caused to the MH-60R helicopter, the safety and wellbeing of our ADF personnel continues to be our utmost priority," it added.
HMAS Hobart departed Sydney on 5 April for an Indo-Pacific Regional Presence deployment.