And who is that guy behind the back of the big guy with the club?
A detachment of Chinese warships has arrived in the Middle East, or more specifically, the shores of Iran. It's not just a random visit; Chinese media are describing the mission as "long-term." That is, definitely not for a couple of weeks.
The group of ships is led by what the Chinese believe to be a destroyer, and what their US opponents believe to be a rocket cruiser. That is, we are talking about a Project 055 ship.
Seaworthy ships with a simply excellent armament composition, which is located in vertical launch systems of a modular-cell type for 8 anti-aircraft, anti-submarine or tactical cruise missiles each.
Eight modules, each with 64 missiles, are located in the bow of the ship, forward of the superstructure, and six others (each with 48 missiles) are located in the aft section of the superstructure, forward of the helicopter hangar. The dimensions of the UVP cells (9 m × 0,85 m) are suitable for housing anti-ship hypersonic and long-range anti-aircraft missiles. A total of 112 missiles of various types are carried, representing a considerable salvo.
But the Project 055 destroyer (Dalian, if I'm not mistaken) isn't the most dangerous ship in this group. Experience shows there are other options.
In the last days of January, a message literally flashed through the Chinese online media that one of the operational units of the Southern fleet A Chinese vessel was spotted near Hainan Island. The message itself was nothing out of the ordinary; Hainan is within the Southern Fleet's operational zone, so everything was perfectly normal.
Some doubters, however, expressed concern that the Chinese were planning a jump into the Arabian Sea, where a US Navy squadron was already en route to "reassure" Iran. But the distance of 7 kilometers cooled many, and the vast majority decided that "China wouldn't make it in time for war."
In general, of course, the assumption is strange. On the one hand, Iran is an important partner for China, and watching it be reduced to rubble again... Well, we've already seen it once. It's hard to say what was going through the minds of Chinese commanders and leaders, but it's incredible but true: a detachment of Chinese ships was in the right place at the right time.
Clearly, no one intended to fight like this, and an armed confrontation between the US and Chinese navies would require more than compelling, catastrophic reasons. So, let's say the Chinese warships arrived more for show purposes.
Or security, if there's someone to guard. And there is, indeed, someone to guard.
Liaowang-1, commissioned last year, is the "brain" of this group. Its presence lends the Chinese detachment's mission a different meaning than observation.
Anyone from the Soviet generation seeing this ship for the first time immediately recalled the snow-white Soviet beauties with their enormous antennas that belonged to the "space fleet" of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin," "Akademik Sergei Korolev," "Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov," and other ships of the "space fleet" that served in every corner of the world's oceans.
The Liaowang-1 is similar. True, in terms of displacement, it's twice the size of any of the "space fleet" vessels, and as for its capabilities... There's a huge amount of room for speculation.
According to unconfirmed reports (the Chinese are obviously never in a hurry to confirm), the Liaowang-1 is literally packed to the brim with phased array antennas, multi-domain radars, and specialized electronic reconnaissance equipment.
Yes, it seems the ship was openly described as a space program control and data collection ship for rocket launches, but... But we understand perfectly well how "open" our neighbors are in terms of information about their new developments!
Well, that is to say, there is zero information about Liaowang-1.
Based on satellite imagery, estimates suggest this ship will be approximately 225 meters long and 32 meters wide. It could be slightly more or less. Its estimated displacement is approximately 30,000 tons.
In short, it's on par with any aircraft carrier. The Italian Cavour is 244 meters long, 39 meters wide, and displaces 28,000 tons. So, that's the bottom line. And compared to other similar surveillance and tracking ships, the Liaowang 1 is a monster.
Clearly, China won't use this ship solely to monitor its own missile tests and space program. The Liaowang-1's size and characteristics suggest it is designed for long-duration missions and acts as a gigantic maritime surveillance system, thereby plugging potential gaps in China's radar network or significantly expanding it.
Besides all this, the fleeting information that the Liaowan-1 has implemented the concept of multi-domain radars has many on the other side scratching their heads.
Multi-domain/multi-static radar is a radar system that uses multiple transmitting and receiving antennas working in tandem. This allows for simultaneous observation of an object from different angles and at different frequencies, significantly improving visibility and quality and providing greater resistance to interference.
Most likely, the Liaowan is equipped with so-called monostatic multistatic radars, meaning their antennas are not spaced apart from each other. The ship's size doesn't allow for this, but spacing the antennas apart while simultaneously operating in a multi-domain system allows for target observation from different angles.
Translation: Stealth aircraft have problems with low observability. Big ones. Very big ones. Like the Liaowang-1.
Although it is possible that to create a small effect (looking at the photo, we understand that there are definitely 80-90 meters between the different antenna blocks at the stern and closer to the bow), the separation of antennas on board the ship may be sufficient.
It is clear that these are all guesses based on hints, but what is truly true is that such a huge ship can be equipped with any amount of equipment of various types and thereby not only create competition for AWACS aircraft, but create a full-fledged program.
Call it whatever you like: an AWACS ship, a spy ship, or a radio intelligence ship, the essence is the same: thanks to radar surveillance capabilities and other technical equipment, valuable information can be collected, processed, and transmitted to its intended destination.
And it must be said that a ship has many advantages over an airplane:
- the ship is practically unlimited in terms of energy, its turbines will produce much more power, which can be sent to the antennas, than the aircraft generators;
- the ship is more autonomous when it comes to area control. Yes, aircraft can replace each other, but this is more risky and expensive;
- An aircraft is much easier to neutralize if necessary, and there's no point in even mentioning the air defense system; it's all pure fiction to calm the crew's nerves: our A-50 couldn't "cover" itself from the ancient S-200, let alone more modern designs? A ship has much greater survivability, and if there are escort ships nearby, things take a rather unpleasant turn for the aircraft.
Thus, the presence in the Arabian Sea of a ship capable of monitoring the surface and air situation over a radius of several hundred kilometers is interesting.
In addition to ships, missiles, and aircraft, the Liaowang-1 can also track satellites. At least, that's what's been implied. Some analysts even believe this is one of the main reasons China built the ship.
With a little imagination, the equipment on such a ship could be used to intercept and decrypt information coming from satellites. China currently lacks a comprehensive satellite network capable of monitoring maritime and air traffic worldwide, but the country is working diligently on this. The Liaowang-1 could assist in surface surveillance in a specific region. In other words, it's a tactical tool.
In fact, a floating AWACS with the necessary capabilities and equipment, once positioned in the Arabian Sea, can not only intercept information from other countries' satellites but also monitor the air situation in an entire region.
Iran, a strategic ally of China, clearly lacks early warning capabilities in its Air Force. Unlike its missile forces, the Iranian Air Force is not a role model in terms of technological innovation, so the lack of AWACS aircraft is normal.
There were some attempts to create one. The HESA IrAn-140, based on the An-140, was a promising candidate, but producing a sufficient number of these aircraft proved a major challenge. Indeed, producing the IrAn-140 in general became a problem for Iran.
The Liaowan-1, in combat mode, can track up to a thousand targets, which is beyond the capabilities of AWACS aircraft. If the ship can provide the Iranian army and navy with information about the situation in the region, Iran will likely be able to neutralize the advantage of the United States and its allies in obtaining data and monitoring the situation.
In general, such assistance could help eliminate the surprise effect of a potential US attack on Iran. And, it must be said, there's not much science fiction here, really.
The Americans already accused the PLA Navy in the summer of 2025 of using their Yan Wan-class reconnaissance ships to provide targeting information for Houthi missiles in the spring. The accusation, so to speak, was dropped due to lack of evidence, and it's unlikely the Americans will be able to prove the transfer of information from China to Iran. At the very least, there's no need to teach the Chinese how to get out of situations; they're quite adept at it.
If the Chinese decide to share such strategic information, it could have far-reaching geopolitical consequences. Iran will have a real chance to preemptively prevent another US attempt to destroy something on its territory.
It is clear that the Iranian Air Force is not yet capable of providing any counteraction to the same aviation US Navy, but here is the missile component Defense With sufficient information support, it is quite capable of tearing off the wings of any group of aircraft that takes off from the deck of an aircraft carrier.
However, Chinese ships could have visited the Arabian Sea for completely different purposes, right?
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