It is considered to be the largest aerial redevelopment in the South China Sea. Beijing has deployed sixteen interceptor fighters Shenyang J-11 on the island of Woody, in the Paracel range in the South China Sea. Occupied by a garrison of the People's Republic of China, the island is claimed by both Taiwan and Vietnam.
The sixteen fighters were detected last April 7 by the American military satellite network. A move, the latter, which differs from the position of Chinese President Xi Jinping who, last February during a visit to Washington, publicly stated that he opposed the militarization of the South China Sea.
The United States is opposed to the militarization of the South China Sea, calling for a peaceful solution to ongoing disputes.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan and China. Dotted with small islands, rocks and shoals, the South China Sea is at the center of a territorial dispute that pits more countries together. Tensions that have increased in recent years, because China has recovered about three thousand acres of land in a massive dredging operation, building aerodromes, ports and lighthouses.
Woody Island is the largest in the Paracel chain. It has hosted an airport since the 90 years and is located at 250 miles south east of an important Chinese submarine base on Hainan Island.
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is in the Philippines at this time to visit the bases that the United States considers fundamental to counter Chinese aggression in the region. The bases are located approximately 100 miles east of the Spratly Islands. The Pentagon has already confirmed troop rotation in the Philippines.
Satellite photos ImageSat International, meanwhile, the interventions on the Woody island for the entry into service of the surface-to-air missiles, deployed last February, have now been completed. Two batteries of eight fire-ready launchers connected to a radar alarm system have been identified. The HQ-9 system, "very" similar to the Russian S-300, has an estimated range of 200 km.
With the air component already operational, Beijing hopes to close all unauthorized "intrusions" on the disputed islands. On Woody Island, Beijing would also deploy six fighter-bombers Xian JH-7 (photo).
(photo: Dmitriy Pichugin)
