Air defense identification zone
An Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of civil aircraft is required in the interest of national security.[1] They extend beyond a country's airspace to give the country more time to respond to foreign and possibly hostile aircraft.[2] The authority to establish an ADIZ is not given by any international treaty nor prohibited by international law and is not regulated by any international body.[2][3]
The first ADIZ was established by the United States soon after World War II. Several countries now have such zones including Canada, India,[4] Japan, Pakistan, Norway and the United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States.[1][2][5]
Air defense zones should not be confused with Flight Information Regions (FIRs), which are used to manage air traffic.[1]
United States and Canada
The United States maintains four zones: The Contiguous US ADIZ; Alaska ADIZ; Guam ADIZ; and Hawaii ADIZ.[1] Under U.S. law and policy, the zone applies only to commercial aircraft intending to enter U.S. airspace.[1] An air defense command and control structure was developed in 1950, creating five Air Defense Identification Zones around North America. If radio interrogation failed to identify an aircraft in the ADIZ, the Air Force launched interceptor aircraft to identify the intruder visually. The air defense system reached its peak in 1962, however with the deployment of the SS-6 ICBM in the USSR, strategic threats shifted overwhelmingly to ICBM attacks, and bomber intrusions were considered to be less of a threat. It does apply to aircraft passing through the zone to other countries. These zones were established after broad consultations with other countries and with aviation authorities worldwide.
Canada also operates a section of the North American ADIZ.
Japan
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/JADIZ_and_CADIZ_and_KADIZ_in_East_China_Sea.jpg/220px-JADIZ_and_CADIZ_and_KADIZ_in_East_China_Sea.jpg)
Japan has an ADIZ that overlaps most of its Exclusive Economic Zone. Its western border was set up after World War II by the US military at 123° degrees east. This resulted in only the eastern half of Yonaguni Island being part of Japan's ADIZ and the western half being part of Taiwan's ADIZ. On June 25, 2010 Japan extended its ADIZ around this island 22 km westwards. This led to an overlapping with Taiwan's ADIZ; the government of Taiwan expressed its "regret" over Japan's move.[6] Regarding the coast of mainland China, Japan's ADIZ has a distance of 130 km at its closest point.[7]
South Korea
South Korea operates a zone that covers most but not all of its claimed airspace.[8] It does not cover some remote spots.[8] The zone was established in 1951, during the Korean War, by the United States Air Force to block communist forces.[8] In 2013, in response to the establishment of a Chinese zone that covers disputed territory, the South Korean government considered expanding their zone to include islands of Marado and Hongdo, and Ieodo, a submerged rock within the overlapping exclusive economic zones of South Korea and China.[8]
China
On November 23, 2013 China established a zone in the East China Sea that was unusual in at least three respects. Usually a zone covers only territory that is undisputed; China's ADIZ in the East China Sea covers the Japanese-controlled, China-claimed Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands in China).[2] Further, China's zone overlaps with other countries' zones and imposes requirements on both civilian and military aircraft regardless of destination, while other zones apply only to civilian aircraft flying into the territory of the zone's country.[9][3]
The US ADIZ rules requires:
"Any aircraft that wishes to fly in or through the boundary must file either a Defense Visual Flight Rules (DVFR) flight plan or an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan before crossing the ADIZ (14 CFR 99.11)." [10]
Therefore, it is not factual to accuse China's ADIZ of being unusual in requiring all aircrafts to file flight plans before crossing its ADIZ.
China’s ADIZ is not unusual in including “disputed” territory of Diaoyu Islands. Japan had set the precedence of including Diaoyu Islands in its ADIZ decades before China has included it in its E. China Sea ADIZ.
China's ADIZ is not unusual in overlapping Japan's ADIZ. Japan's ADIZ had overlapped Taiwan's ADIZ long before China's ADIZ overlapped Japan's ADIZ.[11]
China announced the establishment of an ADIZ in the East China Sea on Nov. 23, 2013. This ADIZ is bounded by lines joining the following 6 points[12]:
- 33 degrees 11 minutes North 121 degrees 47 minutes East
- 33 degrees 11 minutes North 125 degrees 00 minutes East
- 31 degrees 00 minutes North 128 degrees 20 minutes East
- 25 degrees 38 minutes North 125 degrees 00 minutes East
- 24 degrees 45 minutes North 123 degrees 00 minutes East
- 26 degrees 44 minutes North 120 degrees 58 minutes East
The Aircraft Identification Rules for the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone as follows:
- First, aircraft flying in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone must abide by these rules.
- Second, aircraft flying in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone must provide the following means of identification:
- Flight plan identification. Aircraft flying in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone should report the flight plans to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China or the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
- Radio identification. Aircraft flying in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone must maintain the two-way radio communications, and respond in a timely and accurate manner to the identification inquiries from the administrative organ of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone or the unit authorized by the organ.
- Transponder identification. Aircraft flying in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone, if equipped with the secondary radar transponder, should keep the transponder working throughout the entire course.
- Logo identification. Aircraft flying in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone must clearly mark their nationalities and the logo of their registration identification in accordance with related international treaties.
- Third, aircraft flying in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone should follow the instructions of the administrative organ of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone or the unit authorized by the organ. China's armed forces will adopt defensive emergency measures to respond to aircraft that do not cooperate in the identification or refuse to follow the instructions.
- Fourth, the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China is the administrative organ of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone.
- Fifth, the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China is responsible for the explanation of these rules.
- Sixth, these rules will come into force at 10 a.m. November 23, 2013.[13]
The US criticized China for “unilaterally” establishing its ADIZ without prior consultation with other countries. On that point alone, this would be holding China to a higher standard because Japan had established its ADIZ without consulting China. But a serious point of contention going forward comes from the nature of the notification rules themselves. For comparison, US and Japanese ADIZ zones only require inbound flights to identify themselves, whereas China is requiring all flights to do so. Hagel, the American Secretary of Defense, admitted there is nothing new or unique in establishing an ADIZ.[14] The American Vice-President Biden had made no public mention of the Chinese ADIZ following his meeting with the Chinese President Xi.[15]
The zone also includes Socotra Rock, which is claimed by Korea.
As of Dec. 4, 2013 some 55 airlines in 19 countries and 3 regions have complied with China's ADIZ rules.[16] South Korea's Ministry of Transport said South Korean airlines would not recognize the Chinese ADIZ.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e Abeyratne, Ruwantissa (19 August 2011). "In search of theoretical justification for air defence identification zones" (PDF). International Federation For Aviation And Development (IFFAAD). Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d Page, Jeremy (Nov 27, 2013). "The A to Z on China's Air Defense Identification Zone". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Air Defense Identification Zone". GlobalSecurity.Org. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
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: Check|url=
value (help) Cite error: The named reference "GlobSec" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ "Navy Closely Watching China Claims". New Indian Express. 7 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ^ Jane Perlez (27 November 2013), China Explains Handling of B-52 Flight as Tensions Escalate The New York Times
- ^ "Japan extends ADIZ into Taiwan space". taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ "Japan scrambles fighters over Diaoyu". Globaltimes. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Seoul considers southward expansion of air defense zone". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 01 December 2013.
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(help) - ^ Rick Gladstone and Matthew L. Wald (27 November 2013), China’s Move Puts Airspace in Spotlight The New York Times
- ^ http://www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/library/documents/2011/Jan/49877/ADIZ%20TFR%20Intercepts%20w%20answers.pdf
- ^ http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2010/06/26/2003476438
- ^ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-11/23/c_132911635.htm
- ^ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-11/23/c_132911634.htm
- ^ http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/131204/hagel-says-chinas-way-setting-air-zone-was-not-wise
- ^ http://www.voanews.com/content/biden-meets-with-chinese-president-no-public-mention-of-adiz/1803237.ht
- ^ "55 airlines report flight plans to China: FM - People's Daily Online". English.peopledaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2013-12-06.