An RC-135S ballistic missile-detection aircraft of the US Air Force conducted close-in reconnaissance on China’s coastline on the Yellow Sea on Saturday and Sunday, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Beijing-based think tank, reported on Sunday, according to Global Times. The SCSPI report said the RC-135S aircraft flew less than 20 nautical miles away from China’s territorial waters. China will be holding military exercises in the Bohai Strait and the north Yellow Sea from Aug. 29 – Sept. 12.
Global Times reported that “The main mission of the RC-135S aircraft is the detection of ballistic missiles, as it can collect electronic signals, use radar system to locate launch positions and utilize optical and infrared devices to track ballistic missiles in real time, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.
