Chinese and the US forces were locked in a reconnaissance and electronic warfare tussle in the lead-up to and after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan, according to military sources and defense analysts.
But not all of it was successful, according to sources close to the Chinese military.
State broadcaster CCTV reported the Chinese military used naval and air forces in multiple locations to conduct "full tracking and surveillance" against the US Air Force transport aircraft flying Pelosi and her delegation from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei on August 2.
The tracking was aimed at "deterrence", the report quoted PLA Major General Meng Xiangqing, from the PLA National Defence University, as saying.
However a source said the People's Liberation Army's tracking efforts - which involved jets and Type 055 destroyers - failed.
"The PLA deployed some electronic warfare aircraft such as the J-16D and warships to try to locate Pelosi's aircraft, but were not successful," the source said.
"Almost all the PLA electronic warfare equipment couldn't work properly because they were all jammed by electronic interference by the American aircraft strike group sent by the Pentagon to escort her."
On the flight, Pelosi's aircraft took an unusually circuitous route by heading southeast towards the Indonesian part of Borneo, then turning north to fly along the eastern part of the Philippines.
He Yuan Ming, an independent airpower analyst, said it was not surprising that the Chinese vessels did not detect the flight.
"Even if the Type 055 (destroyer's) radar is said to be 500km (310 miles), its effective range in the real world would be much less," He said.
"Couple this with the vast operating area as well as the Type 055's relative newness both in terms of its hardware (capabilities) and software (crew), there should be little surprise that the PLA (naval) cruiser could not locate (Pelosi's plane)."
Pelosi's trip was followed by a series of unprecedented PLA war games encircling Taiwan.
On the second day of the exercises, the US sent at least seven reconnaissance and early warning aircraft to waters near Taiwan, according to the Beijing-based South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative.
The deployment included a RC-135V and RC-135S for missile surveillance, three P-8A maritime anti-submarine planes, three E-3G spy jets and one U-2S high-altitude monitor plane, supported by six KC-135 refueling aircraft.
PLA eyes in the sky and at sea sought to track the aircraft carrying the US House speaker.
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More powerful and advanced than Burkes Yu say?
