Chinese journalists hastened to report that the military drone did not enter the territorial airspace of other countries, having flown south of the island of Okinawa.
Japan's defense ministry said it had spotted a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) unmanned aerial vehicle in the western Pacific on Tuesday. According to analysts, the operation may be a measure in response to the actions of American aircraft carriers near China. This was reported by Global Times on June 5.
The armed reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) TB-001 of the Chinese armed forces flew through the Miyako Strait from the East China Sea to the western Pacific Ocean south of the island of Okinawa, and then returned the same way. This was stated in a press release of the Joint Staff of the Ministry of Defense of Japan published on Tuesday evening.
The TB-001, also known as the “Two-tailed Scorpion”, is a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle developed in China. According to Chinese media, it is capable of performing intelligence, surveillance and attack tasks.
It is noted that this is not the first incident involving Chinese UAVs near Japan. On May 27, the Ministry of Defense of Japan also reported the flight of the Chinese armed reconnaissance drone WL-10 over the East China Sea. This was the first time that the WL-10 was spotted by Japan.
Possible reasons for the launch of the UAV
A Beijing-based military expert said in an interview with the Global Times that the Chinese drones did not interfere with territorial airspace of other countries. According to him, these actions are normal exercises and patrols on the approaches to China, and Japan should not fan the sensation to fuel the “Chinese threat”.
Also, the publication stated that since the end of May in the Philippine Sea, near the Miyako Strait, the USS Ronald Reagan is operating, according to the US Naval Institute website. The area is of strategic importance to the US and Japan, as it allows China to be deterred and intervene in the Taiwan issue.
According to experts, the deployment of Chinese drones may have been a response to the actions of the US aircraft carrier, and their purpose may have been reconnaissance in the vicinity American ship.