Have you heard? It's been a lot of excitement in the South China Sea lately. The United States and the Philippines have engaged in a "shoulder-to-shoulder 24" military exercise, which sounds quite fraternal, but there are really a lot of small actions behind it.
At the end of April, the American AC-130 "air gunboats" made a big move over Lubang Island in the Philippines, bombarding a simulated Chinese militia ship.
This is not a child's house, 105 mm shells, the target ship was directly blown to pieces. As soon as this incident came out, the United States and the Philippines also took the trouble to evaluate it, saying that the effect of this drill was very good.
But then again, this Lubang Island is only more than 200 kilometers away from our Scarborough Shoal Island, which is a distance for the AC-130, which is the effort of drinking a cup of coffee.
Moreover, the area of this island is about the same size as the reef of Scarborough Shoal, so do you believe that the location of this exercise was chosen so coincidentally?
Let's talk about the AC-130, this is an armed version of the C-130 "Hercules" transport aircraft, and the firepower is not covered. Two 20 mm rotary cannons, the rate of fire is frighteningly fast, and there are 40 mm and 105 mm guns, which can almost top an army artillery battalion. This guy was in the limelight in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the Afghanistan War.
But the problem is that our coast guard ships are not equipped with any anti-aircraft weapons, and if the US military really uses the AC-130 to attack our ships, the losses will be great.
Moreover, on the same day, Philippine official ships came to make trouble near Scarborough Shoal, and the Chinese coast guard, of course, is not vegetarian, and directly gave them a route control, so that they can stay where they are cool.
This matter is not over, and the Philippines has also moved out the "Mutual Defense Treaty" between the United States and the Philippines, which means that if they have any conflict in the South China Sea, the US military will have to help.
No, the Philippines seems to have backstage support, and has repeatedly made trouble in the South China Sea.
But don't forget, our PLA is not a vegetarian either. On the same day that the Philippine ships invaded Scarborough Shoal, the PLA's 052D destroyer (Nanning) appeared on the scene.
Moreover, the radar detection range of the Nanning ship is more than 400 kilometers, and the weapons system on the ship is also very good, and the 64-unit vertical hair system, as well as the Haihongqi-9B ship-to-air missile and the YJ-18 anti-ship missile, this firepower is more than enough to deal with the entire Philippine Navy.
Therefore, although the US military's AC-130 has strong firepower, its slow flight speed and almost zero stealth ability make it a live target. In front of the Nanning ship, the firepower of the AC-130 is just a decoration.
But, let's be honest, we don't need to worry too much. After all, the PLA's defense in the waters off Scarborough Shoal is not vegetarian.
The appearance of the Nanning is a clear signal to the United States and the Philippines: If you want to move our islands and reefs in the South China Sea, you must first pass the PLA pass.
But in the final analysis, are these military moves, these exercises, and these confrontations really for the sake of regional peace?
True security and stability should be achieved through dialogue and cooperation, not through the use of force to flaunt and threaten.