A Chinese J-16 fighter jet flew at an extremely low altitude along a beach, drawing widespread attention after a video of the flight surfaced on Chinese social media over the weekend. The video shows the twin-seat fighter jet flying just a few meters above the shoreline, startling people on the ground as it passed by at high speed.
中国空军海滩秀超低空😎 pic.twitter.com/9WDd0tqVeb
— DS北风（风哥） (@WenJian0922) March 20, 2025
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) did not disclose the exact time, location, or purpose of the flight. However, military observers suggest the maneuver was either part of a training exercise or a demonstration of the PLAAF’s capabilities both domestically and internationally.
Such public displays are rare, as the PLAAF typically conducts its air operations within controlled training zones or during patrols over sensitive areas like the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense has not issued a statement on the incident.
While some viewers praised the flyby as an impressive demonstration of precision flying, others voiced concerns over the risks of operating so close to civilians.
Chinese PLA’s J-16 jets performed ultra-low altitude penetration training over the beach. People below were amazed! pic.twitter.com/wbgmLydVD5
— Li Zexin (@XH_Lee23) March 21, 2025
The J-16, developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, is a multirole fighter based on the Russian Su-30MKK. It is powered by two WS-10A Taihang engines and can reach speeds of up to Mach 2 (about 2,480 km/h).
The aircraft has a range of over 3,900 kilometers and can carry more than 8 metric tonnes of weapons, including PL-10 and PL-15 air-to-air missiles, satellite-guided bombs, and anti-ship missiles.
The J-16 has an electronic warfare and support variant, the J-16D, which is China’s counterpart to the American EA-18G Growler, designed to jam enemy radars and communications.
