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Chinese state media shared a video of what it characterized as a submarine detection device launched by a US Navy aircraft.
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The apparent sonobuoy was discovered in the South China Sea near the Second Thomas Shoal.
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Military maritime patrol aircraft, including planes from China, routinely use systems like these.
China’s coast guard found a submarine detection device launched by a US Navy aircraft somewhere in the South China Sea, a state broadcaster reported.
Many militaries, including China, use sonobuoys and acoustic sensors. Maritime patrol aircraft often use them and other detectors in open water to track underwater movements and locations.
Video recording shared by Chinese state media on Wednesday showed a US Navy aircraft, which appears to be a P-8 Poseidonlaunching a sonobuoy-like object into the South China Sea.
Business Insider was unable to independently verify the reported details of the video posted on Chinese social media. The footage showed a detailed examination of the object, which Yuyuan Tiantan, part of China Media Group, identified as a “submarine detector” and reported had been recovered by the Chinese coast guard.
The video identifies the object’s manufacturer as Ultra Electronics Undersea Sensor Systems, Inc. It is a British company that manufactures sonobuoys and underwater sensors.
The US Department of Defense did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Chinese state media he said its coast guard picked up the device near Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, contested territory claimed by China and the Philippines.
The two South China Sea claimants confronted in the areaincreasingly over the past few years and especially in recent months, with Chinese Coast Guard ships firing water cannons at Philippine supply boats and ramming Philippine ships.
Chinese coast guard personnel recently interrupted a fueling operation with White guns, receiving reports of piracy from Manila.
The Second Thomas Shoal, which China calls Ren’ai Jiao, is located far from the Chinese mainland, as is the Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island, where China houses its submarines, although its boats operate across the strategic South China Sea.
Sonobuoys and other similar sensors are small, common instruments in anti-submarine warfare and underwater acoustic research. They have long been used by the military to monitor underwater locations and movementsas well as for non-military purposes.
There are several types of sonobuoys that provide active and passive data collection or serve specific operations. In the state media video, China said the “probe” was being used to detect submarines and counter submarine signals.
Like the US Navy, China has its own anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance aircraft, such as the KQ-200, which are capable of deploying sonobuoys such as the SQ-4 and SQ-5.
In response to the Chinese coast guard’s recent discovery, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Wu Qian said China firmly opposes US warships and aircraft stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, according to a report of Chinese media.
U.S. military ships and aircraft routinely operate in the international waters of the South China Sea unilaterally and with allies and partner nations in support of what it calls a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” flying and sailing wherever the law dictates. international permit.
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