As soon as the U.S. Army's medium-range missiles were deployed, the WZ-7 appeared near the Philippines and hit the soul with one shot. In the past few days, the US Army's deployment of the "Typhon" system in the Philippines for the first time has become the focus of the Sino-US strategic game. The U.S. military said the deployment was seen as a "milestone" because it was the first time that a U.S. land-based intermediate-range missile had deployed the system in the Indo-Pacific. The Typhon is armed with Standard-6 cruise missiles, the former has both anti-aircraft and anti-ship capabilities, and Tomahawk cruise missiles, with a maximum range of 400 km. The latter has a range of 1,800 kilometers and also poses a certain threat to China itself.
Although we have repeatedly said that the US military's anti-ship missile and subsonic cruise missile technology is relatively backward, the US military's deployment of land-based medium-range missiles and anti-ship missiles that are both offensive and defensive on Pinsong Island in the Philippines has really threatened the safety of Chinese warships operating in the Bass Strait.
Interestingly, a few days before the Americans were excited, the Philippines discovered that a Chinese Wuzhen-7 drone appeared in the northwest tip of the Philippines. This is the first time that the Wuzhen-7 has flown over the West Philippine Sea, but it is all but evidence that China wants to engage in regular patrol missions in the South China Sea. There is evidence that China has been experimenting with drones in the South China Sea for situational awareness missions since around 2022, and that air bases have been deployed. Previously, the Wuzhan-7 was mainly deployed in northeast China, and its range of activities was mainly around the island of Taiwan and the Sea of Japan. Including the Muza-7, which appeared in the Sea of Japan a while ago, is presumed to have flown over the airspace of Russia or North Korea.
Then, when the US military is deploying the "Typhon" system in the Philippines, the Wuzhen-7 comes to reconnoiter and locate its deployment site, which should be a key step for us to grasp the initiative in the military struggle between China and the United States in the South China Sea. The Wuzhen-7 has a range of up to 7,000 kilometers, can fly for 10 hours in the air at a time, and can fly at an altitude of 20,000 meters. Compared with manned fighters, letting high-end UAVs such as the Wuzhan-7 perform missions is a more reasonable choice for intelligence search, surveillance, and reconnaissance. China has islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and the Wuzhan-7 has been active for much longer than fighter jets, and its suite of sensors is mainly used for ground reconnaissance, which can provide a more detailed understanding of the deployment of the Typhon system.
The main function provided by the Wuzhen-7 in the war was tactical strike positioning, and the reception received by the "Typhon" this time almost confirmed that the Chinese army carried out a simulated decapitation operation against it. Although the "Typhon" is an offensive combat force, it is difficult for the Tomahawk missiles it is equipped with to pose a threat to China, and only the anti-ship combat function of the Standard-6 will affect the security of the Chinese naval fleet, but the ability to penetrate and damage the anti-ship missile is also doubtful. As long as we have the Wuzhan-7 to provide real-time situational awareness, we can quickly strike at a land-based missile launched from a warship or a land-based medium-range missile launched from deep within the mainland.
In peacetime, the U.S. Army's deployment of the "Typhon" is mainly to carry out deterrence missions, and the presence of the Wuzhen-7 is also a counter-threat means. From a geopolitical point of view, the United States has been in a disadvantageous position in the military game with the PLA because it has been lacking land-based medium-range missiles for many years. Therefore, they must deploy land-based medium-range missiles to China's doorstep, but considering that the "Typhon" does not have an overall high-level land- and sea-attack missile, it has become a "hostage" of the US military in China's periphery because of the attention of China's various reconnaissance equipment. Both China and the United States are shaping a military contest posture that is more favorable to themselves, but the arrival of the Wuzhen-7 proves that as long as there is a conflict between China and the United States, Typhon's fate will be "one shot into the soul", and the US military will obviously lose another game.