Having deployed fighter planes, helicopters, anti-aircraft missile machinery and radars on the artificial islands in the South China Sea over the past few months, China has now deployed drones equipped with Stealth Technology ( Stealth Drones ) on one of the islands. The satellite pictures released by a study group of ‘Image Sat International’ (ISI) show the deployment of drones which could stir up a fresh controversy.
China has deployed its long range drones, the ‘Harbin BZK – 005’ on ‘Woody Island’, one of the ‘Paracel’ group of islands on which Vietnam and Taiwan stake claim. ‘ISI’ has released satellite pictures of the drone deployed on Woody Island. Going by preliminary information, these drones, though not capable of firing missiles, can remain air borne for a minimum of 40 hours.
Yet another satellite picture depicts the ‘HQ-9’ surface-to-air missile of the Chinese military, deployed to ‘Woody Island’ – a move that China is known to have made about a month ago. This missile has the capacity to destroy air borne helicopters and planes from a minimum of 125 kms. This development signals a warning in any case, for the US planes hovering over the ‘South China Sea’.
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