With a 30m wingspan and 2,450km range, this surveillance plane can cover the entire South China Sea
Latest addition to State Oceanic Administration’s fleet will give it the scope to monitor the entire South China Sea, in all weather conditions, day or night
The launch of a new medium-to-long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft is set take China’s surveillance capabilities to unprecedented heights, though experts have mixed views on how the aircraft will be received by the country’s neighbours.
The B-5002, which went into service on June 26 at the South China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration, is the largest and best-equipped plane in the administration’s surveillance fleet.
With a wingspan of about 30 metres and maximum range of 2,450km, it has the capacity, at least in theory, to monitor and respond to incidents across the whole of the South China Sea, China Ocean News reported.
According to Collin Koh, a maritime expert from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, the B-5002 will redefine the administration’s reconnaissance capabilities.