PLA Navy learning from MH370 search: Kanwa
2014-05-04
Crew members from two Chinese Il-76 cargo planes take a photo with Royal Malaysian Air Force personnel after taking part in the search for missing flight MH370, May 3.
(Photo/Xinhua)
The international search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on Mar. 8, may give China some experience into how to confront potential enemies such as the US, reports the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review operated by military analyst Andrei Chang, also known as Pinkov.
Beijing began its rescue efforts much earlier than the United States as Chinese nationals made up two thirds of the passengers on board the ill-fated flight. Within 40 hours of its disappearance, nine vessels of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy were mobilized for the rescue operation. In comparison, only two US ships, the USS Kidd, a guided-missile destroyer and the USNS Cesar Chavez, a cargo ship were deployed until Washington called off the operation on Apr. 30, according to the Washington-based Navy Times.
China has sent more vessels than necessary to join the rescue efforts, Kanwa said, adding that Beijing deployed Type 052C guided-missile destroyers on Mar. 12, as well as four Z-8 utility helicopters and one Z-9 anti-submarine helicopter. Two Tu-154 electronic warfare aircraft of the PLA Air Force also flew into the Vietnamese airspace to look for the plane in the very early stages of the search.
The uncertainity of the plane's location gave the PLA Navy a perfect execuse to send its vessels to the waters near the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, providing the PLA Navy an opportunity to test its force projection capability. Meanwhile, around 21 Chinese satellites including the HY-3 have also been used in the search as well.
The search for missing flight MH370 is currently focused in the southern Indian Ocean after an announcement by Malaysia's prime minister, Najib Razak, on March 24 that the flight likely ended in the southern Indian Ocean with the loss of all 239 people on board.
wantchinatimes.com