From February 2nd to 6th, a large-scale confrontation took place in the South China Sea!

First on the 2nd, the Philippines and the United States conducted a live-fire exercise at the Ernesto R. Abella Air Base in Tarlac City, northern Luzon. The Philippines deployed its main light fighter jet, the FA-50PH, while the U.S. sent the B-52 strategic bomber - an old model, but with long range and large bomb-carrying capacity, often used by the U.S. military for "strategic deterrence." Live-fire exercises have a strong practical combat connotation; it's not simulation, it's real bombing.

On the 4th, both sides moved the stage to the airspace over the South China Sea, conducting so-called "air defense scenarios" exercises. This sounds like a defensive subject, but it's not that simple when combined with the geographical location. The exercise area is near Huangyan Island, which has been under China's effective control since 2012, and is a key node in the South China Sea dispute. Simulating "defense" in this area is actually challenging the status quo.

The climax came on the 6th: the B-52 and FA-50PH formed a formation and conducted a joint patrol between the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait. The U.S. specifically emphasized that this operation achieved "joint mission planning, airspace coordination, and operational response" - in other words, this was not a hastily assembled show, but a quasi-combat operation that had been carefully coordinated. More notably, this operation also involved support from the U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific and the Marine Corps Pacific Forces, indicating that it was not just an air force-only action, but part of a multi-service joint operation.

In response to these series of actions, China reacted quickly. The Southern Theater Command clearly stated that during the period from February 2nd to 6th, Chinese maritime and air forces carried out "routine patrols" in the South China Sea - but the word "routine" behind it is highly targeted deployment. Gao Ge guessed that during those days, a large number of destroyers and frigates must have been active around Huangyan Island, while heavy aircraft such as the J-16 and H-6K frequently took off to carry out accompanying monitoring and interception missions.

The B-52 represents the U.S. long-range strike capability's deterrence, while the Chinese J-16 has the ability to conduct beyond visual range strikes and electronic warfare, and is fully capable of locking down or even suppressing the B-52 before it launches long-range missiles. Perhaps in the U.S. plan, they see China as a weak country like Venezuela, waiting for the B-52H to easily launch missiles. But the problem is, how could that be possible?

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856527568626691/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.