Satellite images indicate that China has deployed an operational airship known as an aerostat in the disputed Mischief Reef, strengthening its reconnaissance ability in the South China Sea. An airship-shaped object could be seen floating over the atoll, which is now China's biggest outpost in the disputed waters, Israeli satellite company ImageSat International, said in a post on its Twitter account on Sunday.
The photos, taken by ImageSat International on November 18, was the first evidence that China had deployed such an aircraft in the area, the company said.
China reportedly began building an early-warning system of aerostats in 2017. Huge balloons were fitted with phased-array radars to help detect low-flying incoming planes, according to military magazine Kanwa Asian Defense.
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