Satellite images clearly picture Chinese flotilla north of Australia in Philippine Sea
Satellite images reveal Chinese warships in alarming proximity. Defence is monitoring closely as experts warn of ‘intimidation’ tactics.
New satellite images have offered a clearer picture of a Chinese naval task group travelling north of Australia through the Philippine Sea.
The images, collected by US spatial-intelligence company Vantor on Wednesday, show two warships, a landing helicopter dock ship capable of carrying multiple choppers, a replenishment ship which would allow the flotilla to refuel without returning to port, and a helicopter which was photographed in flight.
It comes as Defence Chief Admiral David Johnston confirmed that the Chinese task group consists of four ships, including a Renhai-class cruiser (a Type 055 guided-missile destroyer) and a Jiangkai-class frigate (a Type 054A guided-missile frigate), reports The Nightly.
“We are aware the task group is composed of four ships,” he told the publication.
“An Australian P-8 (surveillance plane) observed the task group on the evening of the second of December in the Philippine Sea, approximately 500 nautical miles north of Palau.
“I have previously stated that we have seen a greater PLA Navy presence in our immediate region in recent years, and we do expect to see future PLA in extended area deployments.”
Closely monitoring
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed earlier this week that the ADF was closely monitoring a Chinese flotilla in the Philippine Sea.
Speaking to media on Monday, Mr Marles said the ADF would monitor the ships “until we know that they are not coming in the vicinity of Australia”.
“We maintain constant maritime domain awareness in the geographic areas of interest, South-East Asia, North-East Asia, the North-East Indian Ocean and the Pacific,” he said, “And in that context, we will routinely monitor the movements of PLA vessels.
“And when there are movements such as this, we will monitor them, particularly until we know that they are not coming in the vicinity of Australia.”
Advanced capabilities
After examining Vantor’s satellite images, Mike Plunkett, a senior naval platforms analyst, told the BBC that they show the vessels being refueled.
A line running between the replenishment ship and the cruiser can be seen on closer inspection, and it appears the smaller frigate is also preparing to join for refueling.
“All of the above are standard operations for any first-rate navy and the Chinese have been doing it successfully for many years,” he said.
“The ability to replenish ships at sea means that navies are not tied to bases and can stay at sea for longer and further away than would otherwise be the case.”
Starboard Maritime Intelligence, a New Zealand-based company that provides monitoring expertise for governments and insurers worldwide, described the flotilla as a “significant projection of power”, according to the ABC.
It described the Type 075 landing helicopter dock ship as “capable of hosting up to 30 helicopters and approximately 1,000 marines”, and the Type 903A replenishment vessel as “carrying over 11,000 tons of fuel and dry stores”.
“This support effectively untethers the flotilla from shore-based ports, extending its cruising range to over 10,000 nautical miles - sufficient to transit around major landmasses like Australia without entering port,” it told the publication.
Our backyard
It is unclear at this stage where the task force is heading and during his press briefing, Mr Marles refused to speculate.
There have recently been up to 100 Chinese vessels across East Asia waters, according to Reuters.
They include military and coast guard vessels and have been seen in the southern part of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, South China Sea and into the Pacific.
Last week, Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge told news.com.au that it “looks like Chinese navy ships are on their way to our backyard again”.
“It’s going to display China’s growing appetite to intimidate us close to home, and show our defence organisation’s failure to equip our navy with enough ships or act with any urgency,” Mr Shoebridge said.
The ADF did not respond specifically to the report at the time, saying only in a statement: “Australia maintains high situational awareness across our immediate region and routinely monitors all maritime and air traffic in Australia’s near approaches.”
