Reported south china morning post
five reconnaissance planes including the
special purpose aircraft constant Phoenix WC 135 flew over the area suggested the data available with south
china sea strategic situation probing
initiative. This comes a month after u.s navy
nuclear-powered submarine USS Connecticut collided with an unknown
object while submerged in the region. though the navy said in a statement that
the submarine's nuclear propulsion plant
in spaces had not been affected china
had expressed concerns about nuclear
leaks.
Satellite images showed that the nuke
sniffer was accompanied by an E8C joint
surveillance target attack radar system
aircraft, two P-8A maritime patrol planes
and one EP-3E electronic warfare and
reconnaissance aircraft. According to south china sea strategic
situation probing initiative it is rare
for the WC 135 to come to the south
china sea region and its last activity
in the region dates back to january 2020.
The air force only has one boeing wc 135
constant phoenix which collects
atmospheric samples to detect and
identify radioactive debris from nuclear
explosions. It can also be employed after nuclear
weapon tests and atomic accidents to
help glean more information about those
events and track the potential spread of
dangerous radioactive material.
Two months ago the nuke sniffer was seen
flying over the baltic sea, a week after
the russian navy's oscar the second
class nuclear nuclear-guided missile
submarine oral broke down while
transiting out of the baltic sea.
According to Ridswin Ramet the principal
defense analyst at military publication
jane's the constant Phoenix's deployment
may have been an attempt to examine the
atmosphere for any radioactive material. It could be a precautionary measure by
the u.s to understand if there had been
any leakage of radioactive materials
from the collision, Ramit told south
china morning post,
Hong Kong-based
military commentator song zhongping also
believes the mission could have been to
check for nuclear leaks
and if this was the real purpose that
indicates the collision was severe to a
degree that the u.s is worried and
dispatched a plane to gather more
information.
Song told the news outlet
he added that there was another possible
explanation maybe the U.S is worried
that china has conducted some underwater
nuclear tests and Washington flew a
plane here to confirm, he told south
china morning post. Recent satellite images had proved that USS Connecticut suffered a hit well
below the vessel's surfaced water line
such as on the bottom of its hull.
