Chinese alluvial islands in the South China Sea: radar posts, missile bases and unsinkable aircraft carriers
In the last decade, Beijing has clearly demonstrated its desire to take a leading place on the world stage, which, along with a growing economy, has been accompanied by an increase in political influence in the Third World countries and a radical modernization of the armed forces. The Chinese senior military-political leadership believes that the PLA Navy should become one of the main instruments ensuring China's dominance in the Asia-Pacific region.
Even now, taking into account the numerical and qualitative composition of the Chinese fleet is one of the strongest in the world, but it is not yet capable of confidently confronting the US Navy, as well as the combined fleets of Australia, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
To ensure the functioning of the Chinese fleet, foreign bases are being created. Such facilities were built in Cambodia (naval base in Ream) and in Djibouti (supply point in the port of Obock). Chinese officials say the overseas naval bases are intended solely for operations against pirates and to assist UN peacekeeping missions.
The main role in maintaining the combat stability of the Chinese fleet when operating in the South China Sea at a distance of more than 1000 km from its shores should be provided by artificial reclaimed islands on which runways have been erected, artificial bays have been built where large ships can take shelter from bad weather and unload, and there are also radar posts monitoring the sea area and airspace adjacent to the islands, and assets have been deployed Defense. Thus, China's increased economic power is being transformed into increased opportunities aviation and navy, which require well-equipped bases in the World Ocean.
The areas where Chinese artificial islands appeared are also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. This is largely due to the fact that there are a lot of fish around them, and significant reserves of oil and gas have been explored.
An arbitration court in The Hague has determined that Beijing has no right to disputed territories in the South China Sea. In response, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that these islands have been an integral part of the Celestial Empire since ancient times. Soon after the end of World War II, China published a map on which the state border in the South China Sea was marked as the so-called nine-dash line. The area claimed by Beijing includes up to 90% of the region, including the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Reef. The leadership of the PRC still refers to documents from 1947 as the main argument in the dispute, declaring their “historical rights" to the territory.
In 1992, China passed the Law on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, according to which the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Archipelago were declared an integral part of the country. In November 2012, the Chinese government published a document claiming the authority of the Hainan Provincial Police
"to disembark, inspect and take control of foreign vessels that have entered Chinese waters in the South China Sea."
Declarations of territorial claims are confirmed by deeds; in disputes over islands with other states, China actively demonstrates its readiness to use armed force, using military aviation and navy to protect its interests.
Military bases on the artificial islands of the Spratly archipelago
The Spratly Archipelago, with an area of more than 400 thousand km², is located in the southwestern part of the South China Sea. It consists of more than 100 small islands, reefs and atolls, with a total land area of about 5 km². The center of the archipelago is located 400 km from the islands of Palawan and Kalimantan, 500 km from the coast of Vietnam and 1000 km from the Chinese island of Hainan. According to expert estimates, the area has oil and gas reserves, as well as rich fisheries.
In the past, the 45 islets and reefs were controlled by military forces from Vietnam, China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. It is difficult to call them full-fledged military bases; they are rather military posts in the form of small buildings on stilts, designed to indicate presence.
Some artificial structures built on reefs, in addition to communications and navigation equipment, had radars that monitored the adjacent sea area.
China used military force to seize some of the islands in the area that were previously under Vietnamese control. Not far from Johnson Reef in 1988, a military clash occurred between Chinese and Vietnamese warships. During the battle, one Chinese patrol boat and three Vietnamese patrol boats were sunk. As a result, China took control of seven reefs and atolls, creating a springboard for further expansion of its presence. Currently, the Chinese military is stationed on 9 islands, Vietnam controls 21 islands, the Philippines controls 8 islands, and Malaysia has garrisons on 3 islands.
Despite the fact that this territory is located off the Chinese coast and is located relatively close to the Philippine island of Palawan, it is China that is showing the greatest military activity, sending warships to the area and flying patrol aircraft, and is also reclamating artificial islands. Currently, in the Spratly archipelago, China has created 6 large islands of defense importance.
About 10 years ago, China began implementing a large-scale program to create artificial islands, known in the West as the “Great Wall of Sand,” which is estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars.
Artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago
Artificial islands are created by washing sand onto coral reefs, which are strengthened with concrete foundations and rock brought from the mainland to create an integral structure.
For this purpose, the PRC created an entire flotilla and developed the technology for mass high-speed pouring of large-sized concrete foundations in shallow water.
The world's largest ship, Tian Kun Hao (Magic Island Maker), was built at the Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry shipyard in Qidong, Jiangsu Province, designed to reclaim soil from the seabed.
The ship, 140 m long and 28 m wide, has a capacity of 6000 m³ of sand per hour and is capable of taking sand from depths of up to 35 m.
In 2014, an artificial island with an area of 0,11 km² appeared on the site of a tiny piece of land known as Johnson's Reef, which was flooded during high tide, and a nearby small post on stilts with a garrison of about a dozen people.
Google Earth satellite image: artificial island on Johnson's Reef, buildings and structures under construction. Photo taken in March 2015
Despite its small size, it is a full-fledged artificial island with permanent buildings and structures. In addition to navigation beacons, a pier was built on the reclaimed land area, capable of receiving large ships, buildings where personnel live and work, a communications center, a helipad, lighthouses and warehouses.
Google Earth satellite image: artificial island on Johnson's Reef. Photo taken in November 2018
To ensure the life of personnel, the operation of radars, communications equipment, radars and beacons, there are diesel electric generators, but part of the electricity is generated by wind turbines and solar panels. Trees were planted on soil brought from the mainland.
Several powerful stationary radar stations provide control of the airspace and sea area adjacent to the island. Radar antennas, hidden under radio-transparent protective domes, are installed on concrete bases. Two antennas are mounted on towers 12 and 18 m high, which ensures reliable detection of low-altitude and sea targets at a range of more than 60 km. The detection range of large high-altitude objects can reach 500 km.
There is no information about the Chinese weapons deployed on Johnson Reef in open sources. However, the Vietnamese Internet resource thanhnien.vn published photographs showing a ship-mounted universal turret artillery a radar-guided installation mounted permanently on a concrete base.
Another artificial island with an area of 0,08 km² was built on Cuarteron Reef, where until 2014 a Chinese garrison was located on a reinforced concrete platform on stilts. By 2017, a full-fledged autonomous infrastructure with permanent buildings, mooring facilities, a helipad, navigation beacons and stationary radar stations was built here at an accelerated pace.
Google Earth satellite image: artificial island on Cuarteron Reef
The highest point of Gaven Reef until 2014 was a piece of rock rising 1,9 m above sea level, next to which there was a small platform. Now it is an outpost of the PLA Navy with a capital berth, helipads, radars and ready-made positions for the deployment of anti-ship and anti-aircraft systems.
Google Earth satellite image: artificial island on Gaven Reef
About 40 km south of Gaven Reef on Hages Reef there was until 2014 a structure on a concrete foundation with a small pier. Communication antennas and 14,5 mm twin machine gun mounts, capable of firing at air and surface targets, were placed on the roof of the building.
Now an artificial island has been created here. Its length reaches 600 m and width 310 m. The infrastructure of this island is similar to other objects built in the Spratly archipelago.
Google Earth satellite image: artificial island on Hages Reef
Until 2014, in the Yubi Reef area there was a horseshoe-shaped closed atoll 6,5 km long and 3,7 km wide. The depth of the lagoon reached 25 m.
Google Earth satellite image: artificial island on Yubi Reef
Now, on an artificial island with an area of more than 5 km², a runway 3250 m long and 60 m wide has been built, on which an airliner from the Chinese company Hainan Airlines landed for the first time on July 13, 2016.
Google Earth satellite image: Yubi Reef airstrip
Although this airfield does not permanently host Chinese combat aircraft, if necessary, there is enough space to base a fighter wing or a squadron of anti-submarine aircraft.
The closed bay can accommodate an entire flotilla of ships, and the berthing facilities are able to serve dry cargo ships with a displacement of up to 15 tons. The island also has approximately two dozen domes of radar and space communications stations, as well as antenna fields of electronic intelligence equipment, numerous permanent buildings and hangars, 000 reinforced concrete shelters for aircraft, two helipads, warehouses and fuel storage facilities.
In the northwestern part of the island there is a residential area, where an artificial park has been laid out, there is a tennis court and a football field. According to American intelligence, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles are permanently stationed on Yubi Island. missile complexes.
In 2014, China began constructing an artificial island on the Fiery Cross Reef, which is located halfway between Vietnam and Malaysia. Its area is about 3 km², the length of the runway is 3160 m.
Google Earth Satellite Image: Fiery Cross Island
Chinese patrol and reconnaissance aircraft also regularly land at the island airbase. It is reported that the main work here was completed in 2018. Now a fighter aviation regiment can be based on the island, for which there are fuel and ammunition storage facilities, as well as radio equipment for blind landings and capital hangars.
In the northeastern part of the island, on both sides at the exit from the artificial harbor, there are radio-transparent domes, under which there may be antennas for radars and satellite communication systems.
According to expert estimates, the size of the garrison stationed on the island can reach 3000 people. Such a base should be covered by various air defense systems, but the quality of freely available satellite images does not allow them to be detected.
Google Earth satellite image: PLA Navy warships at the quay wall in the harbor of Fiery Cross Island
Mooring facilities in the island's inner harbor make it possible to receive ocean-class ships. Satellite images show that transport ships, corvettes, destroyers and landing ships of the PLA Navy regularly moor at the quay wall.
Military bases in the Paracel Islands
Approximately 200 km east of the coast of Vietnam and 230 km south of Hainan Island are the Paracel Islands. The archipelago consists of 15 islands, as well as reefs and shoals, spread over an area of 46 thousand km². The length of the archipelago from west to east is 180 km, and from north to south – 170 km, the total area of the islands is about 7,8 km². Significant hydrocarbon reserves have been explored in this area. According to American experts, they amount to at least 11 billion barrels of oil and 5,9 trillion cubic meters of gas.
Shortly before the collapse of the South Vietnamese regime, in January 1974, the PLA Navy carried out an operation to capture the Paracel Islands. However, after communist rule was established over the entire territory of Vietnam, China did not return the islands.
In 2012, the Paracel Islands became part of the urban district of Sansha, with a population of about 2012 people. The district's jurisdiction extends over more than 3000 reefs and islands located over an area of approximately 40 km².
In part of the Paracel archipelago, intensive construction of military infrastructure began in the 21st century. Although the Chinese military presence in the Paracel archipelago began to grow more than 20 years ago, China began creating artificial islands in the area in 2014. Full-fledged runways with shelters, workshops, and fuel storage facilities were built on four islands. On a number of islands there has been a significant expansion of harbors where large combat and transport ships can enter.
The largest military base is Woody Island, whose area has been increased from 2,1 km² to 2,8 km². A major runway with a length of 2007 meters, built in 2350, underwent reconstruction in 1990. Capital concrete shelters, storage facilities for material property, fuel and ammunition, and new residential buildings for military and service personnel were built. The island's internal water supply comes from rainwater harvesting. Additional drinking water is delivered from Hainan Island. The desalination plant, built in October 2016, is capable of processing 1000 tons of seawater per day.
Google Earth satellite image: Woody Island
In 2018, the Chinese media wrote that a research institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences was developing a portable power nuclear reactor with the prospect of placing it on one of the artificial islands, and experts predicted its placement on Woody Island. However, whether this was implemented in practice is unknown. But, one way or another, the capacity to generate electricity necessary for the functioning of the infrastructure and life of the approximately 1300 people located here is quite sufficient. Approximately half of the island's population is military and police.
The mooring facilities of two artificial harbors make it possible to receive ocean-going vessels and service destroyer-class warships.
Google Earth satellite image of a Type 072-II large landing ship and a Type 056A corvette at the quay wall in Woody Island Harbor
Long-range H-6K missile-carrying bombers, JH-7A bombers, J-11 and J-16 fighter jets, as well as medium and heavy-duty UAVs have been spotted on Woody Island Air Base's runway in the past.
According to American intelligence, a squadron of J-11 fighters is permanently based on the island. Combat aircraft are located in well-protected reinforced concrete shelters, which can only be hit by a direct hit from heavy ammunition.
The shelters are spacious enough to allow full maintenance of the aircraft inside. If necessary, the number of combat aircraft on Woody Island can be quickly increased many times over.
On satellite images of the aircraft parking lot, one can regularly observe KJ-500 AWACS aircraft, Y-8G and Y-8X reconnaissance aircraft, as well as Y-8Q anti-submarine aircraft making intermediate landings here.
Google Earth satellite image of KJ-500, Y-8G and Y-8X aircraft next to a civilian airliner on the Woody Island airfield parking lot
Like other artificial islands, Woody Island has several radar posts and a space communications station.
Google Earth satellite image: Woody Island radar post
In addition to the aviation component and radars, air defense systems have been deployed on the island since 2016: the HQ-9A air defense system, with a range of destruction of high-altitude targets up to 200 km, and the HQ-6A short-range air defense system, which makes it possible to create an effective anti-aircraft defense over the islands under Chinese control. umbrella.
Google Earth satellite image: HQ-9A SAM position in the western part of Woody Island. Photo taken in April 2016
At the first stage, air defense systems were deployed on the beach in the western part of the island, and they were clearly visible on satellite images. Nowadays, most of the equipment is constantly located in reinforced concrete hangars that can withstand hits from aviation weapons, and in boxes that protect against the effects of adverse meteorological factors.
Unlike the HQ-9A long-range air defense system, the Chinese HQ-6A missile and artillery system is designed for direct defense against low-altitude air attack weapons located within line of sight. It includes, in addition to a guidance station and a missile defense system with a semi-active radar seeker, a 30-mm seven-barrel anti-aircraft artillery mount Toure 730 with a radar-optical guidance system.
The fire is carried out by a Toure 730 anti-aircraft artillery mount
This air defense missile system is not on permanent combat duty and is regularly deployed to positions in various parts of the island for training purposes.
American media, citing information received from intelligence sources, write about the presence of mobile anti-ship missile systems on Woody Island.
Start RCC YJ-62C
Perhaps we are talking about the YJ-83 (C-803) anti-ship missile with a launch range of more than 200 km. These could also be YJ-62C (S-602) anti-ship missiles - with a range of more than 300 km.
In fact, Woody has all the components for autonomous operations against sea and air enemies. Foreign military experts believe that this island, which is a real fortress, is a forward outpost of the PLA forces deployed in Hainan.
The largest Chinese military base in the Paracel archipelago is built on Woody Island. However, there are other islands nearby where the presence of the PLA has been recorded.
15 km north of Woody is the island of Trieu. After work to increase the area, its length is 890 m and its width at its widest point is 420 m.
Google Earth satellite image: Trieu Island
Apart from the radar post, no other objects of defense significance were noticed on Trie. However, Chinese border guard patrol vessels often moor in the island's inner harbor. It also has infrastructure that allows it to receive cargo from transport ships, a helipad and storage facilities.
In the southwest of the Paracel archipelago, Duncan Island is located, which is the basis of the anti-submarine defense and electronic intelligence of the PLA Navy in the area. Back in 2009, the construction of concrete foundations and towers began here, designed to accommodate radio antennas. At the moment, five spherical domes can be seen in the northern and eastern parts of the island. According to official Chinese sources, there is also a space tracking station on Duncan Island.
As with other islands, its area has been significantly increased since 2014. Thanks to the reclamation of sand and the strengthening of the shore lily, the territory of Duncan Island increased from 0,28 km² to 0,5 km².
Google Earth satellite image: Duncan Island
The landmass of Duncan Island encompasses a closed harbor with a narrow entrance, protected from storms. Large combat and transport ships regularly come here. The island also has a concrete pad and enclosed reinforced concrete hangars that can accommodate six Z-18 helicopters. According to some signs, the island is prepared for the deployment of mobile anti-aircraft and coastal anti-ship systems, but the launchers themselves are not visible on satellite images.
The easternmost Chinese military base was built on Disaster Reef, located 260 km west of the Philippine island of Palawan. In the past, during strong storms and high tides, this reef was almost completely hidden under water.
Google Earth Satellite Image: Disaster Reef
Despite protests from the Philippines in 2015, China began reclamation work here under the cover of warships. A year later, an artificial island appeared along the perimeter of the lagoon, in the western part of which a 2640 m long runway, parking lots and reinforced concrete shelters for aircraft were built. On July 13, 2016, a China Southern Airlines passenger plane landed on the runway.
There are several radar posts in different parts of the island, which are covered by short-range air defense systems.
Google Earth satellite image: radar post at Disaster Reef
The lagoon with narrow passages in the western and southern parts, measuring 7,6 by 4,6 km, allows an entire flotilla to shelter from bad weather, and the 1,8 km long quay wall, equipped with multi-ton cranes, can accommodate a significant number of large ships.
The importance of Chinese military bases on artificial islands
One of the main reasons for the creation of Chinese artificial islands on pieces of land, the ownership of which is disputed by different states, is the desire of the PRC leadership to secure areas rich in biological resources and minerals. The powerful defense infrastructure deployed on the reclaimed islands makes it impossible to resolve territorial disputes on the part of other states in the Pacific region by armed means and strengthens Beijing’s authority in the international arena. Having gained a foothold on the disputed islands, the Chinese authorities can afford to ignore the opinions of other states, conducting dialogue from a “position of strength.”
In terms of strengthening the global defense capability of the PRC, airfields, radar posts, missile bases, berthing facilities, warehouses of material property and fuels and lubricants create serious advantages over other players and make it possible to expand the coverage area of the Chinese fleet and aviation, as well as accumulate reserves for control of the sea area at a considerable distance from the coastline of mainland China.
In the event of a global conventional conflict with the United States, unsinkable aircraft carriers, batteries of long-range air defense systems and anti-ship missiles, combined with radar and space reconnaissance assets, can partially compensate for American superiority in aircraft carriers, long-range bomber aircraft and long-range cruise missiles.
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