Chinese military reconnaissance aircraft disguised as military aircraft in Truong Sa

The presence of reconnaissance aircraft disguised as transport aircraft could help China accelerate its illegal militarization process in the East Sea.

A Chinese Y-8X maritime patrol aircraft. Photo: Military.china

On April 17, a Y-8 transport aircraft, numbered 9271, of the Chinese Navy illegally landed on the runway on an artificial island that China illegally built at Cross Reef in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago, according to China News.

According to Chinese state media, the Y-8 that landed on Fiery Cross Reef was simply a military transport plane, intended to take three sick workers to Sanya city, Hainan island for treatment.

The Shaanxi Y-8 or Shaanxi Y-8 is a medium-range transport aircraft manufactured by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, China. It is a licensed variant of the Russian An-12 military transport aircraft.

In terms of aerodynamic shape, the Y-8 is a copy of the An-12 transport aircraft. The Y-8 is equipped with four turboprop engines, arranged like the propellers on the Russian Tu-95 and An-12 aircraft.

Since its first flight on December 25, 1974, the Y-8 has become one of the most popular military and civilian transport aircraft in China, produced in more than 30 different variants including export.

However, information on the Chinese military's APL-Chine website shows that the Y-8 with serial number 9271 is one of four Y-8X versions (9261, 9271, 9281, 9291), a reconnaissance, maritime patrol and electronic warfare aircraft of Beijing, not a transport aircraft.

In the early 1990s, in order to serve the navy's plan to strengthen its maritime reconnaissance patrol mission, Beijing developed a variant of the Y-8G patrol aircraft, equipped with a more powerful radar and special electronic systems designed by both China and the West.

Under the nose of the Y-8X is a large box to hold the antenna. Photo: APL-China

The Y-8X reconnaissance aircraft is an upgraded variant of the Y-8G, developed with the basic mission of reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrol.

The Y-8X is 34.02 m long, has a wingspan of 38 m, is 11.16 m high, has a maximum flight speed of 662 km/h, can fly up to 10,400 m, and has a maximum flight range of 5,620 km.

The Y-8X crew consists of flight crew5 people and2-4 soldiers in charge of operating reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems.

The Y-8X version based on the Y-8 airframe is equipped with modern electronic warfare equipment such as the AN/APS-504 capable of detecting surface ships within a range of about 300 to 450 km, the Omega Navigation global positioning and navigation system, and modern optical and infrared reconnaissance systems.

The easily distinguishable difference between Y-8X and Y-8 is dUnder the nose of the aircraft is a large box that can hold a specialized antenna. In front of the vertical tail is an additional satellite communication antenna so that the aircraft can send information directly via satellite to the command post at the rear.

The Y-8 that landed illegally on Cross Reef had a large white box under its nose. Photo: Sina

In addition, the Y-8X is also equipped with a sonar system to serve anti-submarine missions.

Bonnie Glaser, senior advisor for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that the Chinese navy's Y-8X aircraft, when deployed on the 3,000-meter-long runway on Fiery Cross Reef, will be able to locate and track ships and aircraft operating within a radius of up to 1,600 kilometers.

In addition to the operations of the Y-8X aircraft, the presence of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, typically high-frequency radar systems on newly illegally built artificial islands in Vietnam's Truong Sa area, will help China collect intelligence as well as monitor other important targets to further militarize the East Sea, Glaser emphasized.

The US military yesterday also voiced its opposition to China's landing of military aircraft on an illegal artificial island in the Spratly Islands. "We are aware that a Chinese military aircraft landed on Fiery Cross Reef on Sunday, in what China described as a humanitarian operation to evacuate three sick workers," Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis told CNN yesterday. "It is unclear why the Chinese used a military aircraft and not a civilian one."

"We urge China to reaffirm that it has no plans to deploy or rotate military aircraft at its outposts in the Spratly Islands, in keeping with China's previous assurances," Mr. Davis said.

See also:Militarizing the East Sea, China may harm itself

According to VNE