Chinese planes prompted pilot counselling.

(RT) ⸻ Pilots of the Royal Australian Air Force are being offered psychological assistance after aerial encounters with Chinese warplanes over the South China Sea. The RAAF keeps pilots informed about what services are available, and special attention is being given to the wellbeing of aviators who aren't in the pilot's seat. The preparation of Australian airmen for missions has also evolved as "we've seen the operational environment change". The South China Sea is claimed by Beijing as part of its own territory, despite overlapping claims by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. In June, Canberra accused Beijing of a dangerous intercept, which saw a Chinese J-16 fighter jet releasing a bag of "chaff" into the flight path of an Australian P-8 maritime surveillance plane.