Flight tracking services yesterday showed a Chinese military aircraft operating around Hainan while broadcasting the identity of Royal Air Force Typhoon ZK334 and the callsign YILO2400.
The behaviour visible on the map did not resemble the flight characteristics of a Eurofighter, obviously. The track remained close to Chinese airspace and eventually terminated on Hainan Island, close to areas known for activity by Chinese unmanned systems.
Flightradar24 relies on data from a dispersed set of volunteer receivers. The readings in this case were stable enough that the track remained visible for a significant period and showed a coherent movement pattern.
A Chinese drone appeared on FR24 using the ID of RAF Typhoon, flying a drone-like pattern around Hainan before landing on the island. A reminder of how easily ADS-B can be manipulated. pic.twitter.com/AhaSq82YDq
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) November 20, 2025
The aircraft maintained speeds and altitudes that align more with medium altitude intelligence or surveillance drones rather than a fast jet with the performance of a Typhoon. The absence of rapid acceleration, steep climbs, or sharp turns is a big giveaway. The flight path wound around a section of airspace frequently used by Chinese military aviation and then moved toward a location that appears to host drone operations.
The use of an RAF hex code by an aircraft flying a routine pattern inside Chinese territory isn’t very alarming. The ADS-B system lacks authentication, so any aircraft equipped with a transponder that allows manual input can broadcast an identity that belongs to a completely different platform.
That technical reality has been pointed out for years by aviation researchers, and this incident shows how such a capability can surface in a real operational environment. The intention behind the choice of code remains uncertain. It could be a deliberate attempt to test identity manipulation, a misconfigured transponder on a drone undergoing trials, or a sign that China is experimenting with methods to obscure the identity of its unmanned aircraft during training flights.
It did not look like a glitch, and it did not behave like a mislabeled civilian flight. It looked like a Chinese platform using an identity it should never broadcast. For anyone who keeps an eye on this region, it is a useful reminder to check what the data shows, trust what you can verify and stay aware that some are now treating ADS-B as a tool they can shape to their own purposes.
So lets do a Brian Blessed’s Blackadder strategy by painting a Tiffy in Chinese colours then strafing the F out of Yantar ?