Fleet armed with stealth tech and missile trackers has been shadowing foreign navies and drills in the region, forcing evasive tactics
On July 12, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported the interception of the Type 815A electronic surveillance ship Tianwangxing (hull number 793) operating about 69 nautical miles (128km) off the western Philippines, within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Despite repeated radio challenges from the flagship PCG vessel Teresa Magbanua, the Tianwangxing remained unresponsive while the accompanying China Coast Guard (CCG) ship undertook manoeuvres described by the PCG as “asserting Beijing’s jurisdiction over the disputed waters”.
The Chinese spy ship, accompanied by the CCG’s Zhaojun-class cutter 4203 and later joined by PLA Navy Type 052D guided missile destroyer Guilin (hull number 164), was conducting what appeared to be intelligence-gathering operations during the US-Philippine Cope Thunder aerial combat exercise.
The drills, carried out on July 7-18, saw America’s most advanced F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters deployed to the Philippines for the first time.
