China appears to be closing surveillance gaps in the South China Sea with the construction of a new radar said to have counter-stealth capabilities on Triton Island, new satellite images show. This project, especially if the radar functions as advertised, could complicate US operations in the tense and contested region.
Chatham House noted that once the SIAR system is finished, it'll add to China's larger surveillance and reconnaissance network in the South China Sea by providing overlapping coverage stretching from Hainan Island on the northernmost edge of the strategic waterway to the Spratlys in the south.
Gregory Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, stated that 'China has built dozens of different types of radars across the Spratlys and Paracels over the last 10 years' as part of their military modernization efforts.
The report called attention to the expansion of China's military installations on Triton Island between August 2022 and September of this year, including a new radar system that could significantly enhance their military capabilities in the region.
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