Wholesale Flight of the Spectre by Frederic Zumbiehl

[Cinebook] When a Japanese patrol plane is shot down by a mysterious aggressor, the international community immediately suspects the Chinese – the attack took place off the Japanese Senkaku Islands, which China also claims as their own. The incident is extremely serious and could lead to all-out war, and the Pentagon sends the carrier USS Ronald Reagan, with Buck on board, to investigate the attack and attempt to defuse the situation before it gets out of control.