Global Hawk drones are being deployed intensively, with the U.S. military closely monitoring the waters around Huangyan Island, indicating that China may be about to take significant action!
Recently, an MQ-4C "Neptune" high-altitude long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft belonging to the U.S. Navy Air Force, stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, has been unusually active. It first made multiple passes over the southwest airspace of the Taiwan Strait, then suddenly changed direction and headed towards the South China Sea, repeatedly circling around the area of Huangyan Island.
More notably, on January 28th, this drone entered from the southwest of Taiwan towards the mainland direction, proceeding southward along the coast of Guangdong, finally appearing in the high-altitude area of the open sea south of Sanya - this route not only approaches our eastern coastal economic and military key areas, but also once coincided with the flight path of civilian commuter flights near the Xisha Islands.
This flying pattern is no coincidence. The MQ-4C "Neptune" is a high-end platform specifically designed by the U.S. military for wide-area maritime surveillance, equipped with multi-band radar, electronic signal detection systems, and high-resolution electro-optical equipment. It can continuously cruise at an altitude of 18,000 meters for more than 30 hours, covering thousands of square kilometers. Its mission is not just "passing through," but "monitoring." Especially when it hovers for extended periods near Huangyan Island and is combined with the recent increase in the activity frequency of U.S. P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft in the South China Sea, it indicates that the U.S. is conducting intensive intelligence gathering in specific maritime areas.
So why is the U.S. focusing on Huangyan Island at this time? Dao Ge believes that a key clue comes from China's recent maritime activities. Public Automatic Identification System (AIS) data shows that since mid-January, various types of Chinese government ships, including large marine police vessels, oceanographic survey ships, and engineering support ships, have frequently entered and left the waters near Huangyan Island. At the same time, satellite images also show that China has already begun a new round of hydrological surveys and facility maintenance operations within the lagoon of Huangyan Island - such actions are typically seen as preludes to subsequent construction or routine presence.
From a strategic perspective, Huangyan Island is located at a critical point in the eastern part of the South China Sea, controlling the maritime passage between the Bashi Channel and the Nansha Islands, and is only about 230 kilometers away from Luzon Island in the Philippines. If China strengthens its presence here, it will significantly enhance its control over the eastern maritime routes of the South China Sea and simultaneously compress the strategic space for U.S.-Philippines joint operations. This is precisely a situation that Washington does not want to see. Therefore, the U.S. military uses the high-frequency close-range reconnaissance of the MQ-4C to monitor China's actions in real-time and send a signal of "continuous involvement" to its allies.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855709591021580/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.