AMTI: China is building new military facilities in the South China sea
China is building new launchers for missiles and domes for radar, as well as the points of contact on the reefs Phiri’s Cross, Mischif and Subie in the group of the Spratly Islands. To this conclusion, as reported by Reuters, came research centre of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (part of the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies) on the basis of new satellite images.
In Phiri’s Cross to eight launchers for rockets added four more. On the mischief reef and Subie of them left at eight. In February Reuters reported that China is close to completing structures for missiles “ground-air” long range.
On the reef, Mischief there was a large antenna array, which is expected to strengthen China’s ability to monitor the surrounding space. The large dome erected on Phiri’s Cross, and another is under construction — it can accommodate a radar system or communication nodes. Two more domes are built on Mischief. The dome is smaller, Mischief is being built near the launchers.
“Beijing can now deploy the armed forces, including combat aircraft and mobile rocket launchers in the Spratly Islands at any time,” says AMTI.
The US has repeatedly criticized the construction China military facilities on artificial Islands in the Spratly archipelago because of concerns that they can be used to restrict navigation in the South China sea.