Drones on the Frontlines of the South China Sea
Chinese UAV imagery of Senkakus More than one war has started over the control of a group of isolated rocks in the middle of the ocean. Tensions over disputed East China Sea islands called the Diaoyu by China and the Senkaku by Japan could someday precipitate skirmishes on or over the sea, if not a larger conflict. It may very well possible that the first shots fired in any sort of combat over these islands will involve growing number of maritime unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying in the area. Late in 2013, China established an air defense zone (ADIZ) over portions of the East China Sea. Further south, near the disputed Spratlys, similar issues exists. To help enforce their claims over these areas, China is building a string of 11 drone bases along its coast by 2015. China has operated what is likely a variant of the S-100 rotary wing UAV off PLA(N) ships. China's Coast Guard, which is really the PRC's first line of defense ...