Five PLA vessels are approaching the waters of the Philippines,
according to Duowei News, a news outlet operated by overseas Chinese.
The five ships reportedly include two Type-052B destroyers, two
Type-054A frigates and one Type-071 amphibious transport vessel. A
Chinese naval analyst has said that the ships are on a training mission
but could be sent to support the Chinese fishery administration ships
around Scarborough Shoal if the standoff between China and the
Philippines over the disputed South China Sea atoll escalates.
Though Manila is trying to purchase more advanced weaponry from the
US to strengthen its armed forces, a report from US military analyst
Richard W Fisher says the Chinese navy would have little difficulty
preventing Philippine ships from approaching Scarborough Shoal, about
200 kilometers from the western coast of Luzon.
With a displacement of just 3,200 tons, the Hamilton-class cutters of
the Philippine navy are no match for the four Chinese destroyers and
frigates, which together would carry about 48 C-802/803 anti-ship
missiles. The Philippines has none.
Flying only a handful of Cold War-era F-5A and F-5B fighters, the
Philippine air force also poses little threat to the Chinese fleet.
Manila is looking to purchase secondhand F-16 fighters from the United
States over the next two years which it would use for sea patrol
missions. Such missions are currently being carried out by OV-10 light
attack and observation aircraft.
Because of the plane's slow speed, two
OV-10s were intercepted by fighters from the PLA Air Force in early
2011.
The standoff at Scarborough Shoal began on April 10 when two Chinese
fishery administration ships were deployed to prevent the Philippine
navy from arresting and detaining Chinese fishermen who had been
apprehended in the area claimed by the two sides.
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Want China Times | May 16, 2012 | Article Link
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