Thread: China installs military weapon systems on Spratly Islands.

Alarm as China installs military weapons on Spratly Islands

China has admitted building military facilities but says it is acting within its rights and insists they are purely defensive.





China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, according to a US think-tank.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said its findings come despite Beijing stating it has no intention to militarise the Spratly Islands.

AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs since June and July.

China has already built military length airstrips on the islands, which lie in a strategic trade route where territory is claimed by several countries.

"It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defence fortifications already constructed at China's smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron reefs," it said, referring to newly released images taken in November.

"This model has gone through another evolution at (the) much-larger bases on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs."



Satellite images of Hughes and Gaven reefs showed what appeared to be anti-aircraft guns and what were likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) to protect against cruise missile strikes, AMTI said.

Images from Fiery Cross Reef showed towers that probably contained targeting radar.

AMTI said covers had been installed on the towers at Fiery Cross, but the size of platforms on these and the covers suggested they concealed defence systems similar to those at the smaller reefs.

"These gun and probable CIWS emplacements show that Beijing is serious about defence of its artificial islands in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea," it said.

"Among other things, they would be the last line of defence against cruise missiles launched by the United States or others against these soon-to-be-operational air bases."



Alarm as China installs military weapons on Spratly Islands

Jack Sprat could eat no Fat
His nong could eat no lean
So between them both they licked
Pattaya Pies clean

Hypocritical double standards in place....

So what did they expect them to do, did they really think that China wasn't going to install weapons here. It was only a matter of time.