- Chinese state media released video of a submarine detection device purportedly dropped by a U.S. Navy aircraft.
- The suspected sonobuoy was discovered near Second Thomas Reef in the South China Sea.
- Military maritime patrol aircraft, including Chinese aircraft, routinely use such systems.
China’s coast guard has spotted a submarine detection device dropped by a U.S. Navy aircraft somewhere in the South China Sea, state television reported.
Many militaries, including China’s, use sonobuoys and acoustic sensors, and maritime patrol aircraft frequently use these and other detectors on the high seas to track the movements and positions of submarines.
Video footage released by Chinese state media on Wednesday showed a U.S. Navy aircraft, believed to be a P-8 Poseidon, dropping a sonobuoy-like object into the South China Sea.
Business Insider was unable to independently verify the details of the video posted to Chinese social media, which showed a close-up inspection of the object, which Chinese media group Yuyuan Tiantan identified as a “submarine detector” and reported was retrieved by the Chinese Coast Guard.
The video identifies the object’s manufacturer as Ultra Electronics Undersea Sensor Systems, a British company that makes sonobuoys and underwater sensors.
The Department of Defense did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Chinese state media said the country’s coast guard discovered the device near Second Thomas Reef in the South China Sea, an area claimed by both China and the Philippines.
The two countries, which both claim territorial claims in the South China Sea, have been engaged in increasingly fierce clashes in the region in recent years, particularly in recent months, with China Coast Guard vessels frequently spraying water at Philippine supply ships and ramming Philippine vessels.
Recently, Chinese coast guard personnel have disrupted resupply operations with knives, prompting complaints of piracy from Manila.
Second Thomas Reef, which China calls Ren’ai Reef, is far from the Chinese mainland and from the Yulin Naval Base on Hainan island, where Chinese submarines are stationed, while Chinese warships operate in the strategic South China Sea.
Sonobuoys and other similar sensors are small instruments commonly used in anti-submarine warfare and underwater acoustic research. They have been used by the military to monitor the position and movements of submarines, as well as for non-military purposes for many years.
There are different types of sonobuoys used for active or passive data collection and specific operations. In a state media video, China said the “probes” were being used to detect submarines and counter their signals.
Like the U.S. Navy, China also has its own anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance aircraft, such as the KQ-200, which can be equipped with sonobuoys like the SQ-4 and SQ-5.
Following the China Coast Guard’s recent findings, Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said China firmly opposes U.S. warships and aircraft causing chaos in the South China Sea, according to Chinese media reports.
U.S. military ships and aircraft routinely operate in international waters, such as the South China Sea, alone and with allies and partners, and fly and sail wherever international law allows, in pursuit of the so-called “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”
