July 29, 2019
China’s Giant Spy Drone Just Tailed a U.S. Navy Cruiser
But Beijing’s years of investment in drones are finally starting to pay off, if the Soar Eagle’s July 2019 mission tailing Antietam is any indication.
by David Axe
China reportedly activated one of its Soar Dragon large spy drones to keep tabs on a U.S. Navy cruiser that sailed through the Taiwan Strait in late July 2019.
The Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Antietam transited the Taiwan Strait on July 24, 2019 as a show of force. In addition to the Soar Eagle, Beijing sortied J-11 fighters 10 times during Antietam’s nine-hour transit, according to Taiwan’s Up Media.
The Chinese pilots reportedly issued a radio warning to one of Antietam’s MH-60R helicopters as the rotorcraft was flying along the west side of the strait, air space about which China is particularly sensitive.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/china%E2%80%99s-giant-spy-drone-just-tailed-us-navy-cruiser-69881
