Ok, so the
Chinese F-8 ran into our
EP-3E. So the EP-3E landed in
China and the
F-8 crashed into the sea. We now have our crew and the Chinese are very happy to have our Electronic/Patrol aircraft (note: it's not a "spy plane" like the
U-2 or
SR-71) in all it's $80 million glory. So what could we have done differently?
The United States failed one basic lesson of war, never leave anything the enemy can use, the extreme of which is called Scorched Earth. This is a basic principle of war dating back hundreds of years. In the middle ages nobles would burn the fields so a seiging army would have to scrounge for food. In World War II the Germans and the Russians put this idea to use. The US was forced to burn un-used APCs and C-Rations when retreating in the "Big Bug-Out" of Vietnam. Even Saddam Hussein mastered this concept when he set fire to the oil wells of Kuwait.
The crew of the EP-3E partially accomplished this necessary destruction when they erased the hard drives of all the on-board computers, but that still leaves the all too valuable hardware. Hardware that can give the Chinese insight as to the sensitivity and range of our listening equipment. The crew made a valiant effort to destroy the on-board hardware using hammers, axes and other tools. Clearly the Chinese saw this as little more than an annoyance as they stripped the plane and hauled away almost $80 million worth of US Government property.
The most ideal solution would be to place demolitions charges on key equipment and destroy it beyond repair as the crew abandoned the aircraft. Pre-placed charges in the external antenna housings would also be detonated. But, this equipment is not carried on-board. The next best thing would be to call in an air-strike from F-117s or B-2s to destroy the EP-3E on the ground.
The failure of the United States to destroy all material that could be useful to the Chinese is the same as failing to demolish a bridge, failure to burn equipment and supplies left behind and failure to destroy railroad tracks when retreating. Yes, it would have pissed off the Chinese to no end, but the EP-3E was US property and it was not only our right but our responsibility to destroy it, a responsibility we failed to consummate.
Reply to JyZude: The idea of destroying sensitive materials or taking other measures to keep them from falling into the control of a potentially hostile government was learned in war, but it is not limited to wartime. The EP-3E landed at the Chinese airbase to save the crew, of course we are not at war with the Chinese, but that does not mean that we should (or do) trust them. The confiscation of our aircraft and the detention of the crew should convince anyone of that. If not may I point you to the recent incident involving the theft of US nuclear technology. Are we at war with the Chinese? No, of course not, but that does not mean I trust them.
The Chinese were required by international law to treat the crew of the EP-3E and the aircraft as any other vessel in distress. The plane should have been repaired (after parts and mechanics were flown in) and allowed to leave, especially considering it was the Chinese military that caused this event in the first place.
The Chinese have no right to question our use of an EP-3E in international airspace, they have no right to challenge our use of that airspace. The area in which the EP-3E was patrolling was neutral and the US had every right to be there, just as the Chinese did. However, it was not the EP-3E crew that challenged the F-8s to a mid-air duel, quite the contrary. In fact there is video footage of the very Chinese pilot who collided with the EP-3E flying dangerously close to other patrol aircraft, even holding up his email address to the crew of another EP-3E.
The fact is that the Chinese military and civil government are two seperate agencies working independantly of one another and, as in this case, stepping on each others' toes.
See also: China is wrong, and there is no 'grey area' here
Reply to Yurei: I disagree with very littel of what you had to say. I do not dispute that demolitions charges can be dangerous, but plastic explosive is very stable and safe to carry. The chance of an accidental detontation, even in fire is almost zero. I am not criticizing the crew of the EP-3E, they did a fantastic job erasing data and axing equipment, I am saying they should have had better tools. The US had every right to destroy the EP-3E on the ground, it was our aircraft to do with as we see fit. That is why the crew destroyed the equipment, it was US property, as is the airframe. In a strictly tactical perspective we did fail to totally destroy assests to avoid their capture.