At about 9:15 a.m. local time, toward the end of the EP-3’s six-hour ELINT mission, it was flying at 22,000 feet (6,700 m) and 180 knots (210 mph), on a heading of 110°, about 70 miles (110 km) away from the island. Two Chinese J-8s from Hainan’s Lingshui airfield approached.