China has jamming equipment in the South China Sea — and the US may 'not look kindly on it'

pulse

April 18, 2018 6:17 PM

"The Growler is a very capable machine," one expert said. "I doubt the Chinese can really affect that aircraft that much."

The US Navy's USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier has reached the Philippines, and it looks like China has jamming equipment in the South China Sea.
Beijing has built and militarized artificial islands in the South China Sea, and is extremely touchy about US Navy ships sailing around them despite their legal status as lying in international waters.
While jamming isn't anywhere near shooting, the provocative activity "could lead to an escalatory pattern that could be negative for both sides," and the US will "not look kindly" on the practice, according to an expert.

The US Navy's USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier has reached the Philippines, and reports from pilots on board the ship paint a troubling picture of growing tensions with China.

US officials told the Wall Street Journal early in April that intelligence officers detected China moving radar and communications jamming equipment to the South China Sea.

In addition to building and militarizing islands in the South China Sea, Beijing stands accused of encroaching on the Philippines' territorial waters, something recently exacerbated by the reported appearance of Chinese military planes on a reef near the island nation.

Part of the Roosevelt's mission in the Philippines was to demonstrate that if China crossed the line, the US, the Philippines's ally, would have its back.

And it would likely be obvious to a US pilot if China was jamming their equipment.

Editor's note: An original version of this story incorrectly stated that the EA-18G Growler pilot had experienced jamming in the Pacific or was able to confirm that jamming equipment existed. This article has been changed to report that the pilot generally described what jamming would be like.

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