Global Conflict Reporting

Tag: PLAN

  • PLAN deployments; Satellite imagery shows an up close look at China’s navy.

    By.Scott Jackson

    12/08/2025

    The following incredibly clear images show several PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) vessels operating in the Philippine sea. The images show just a small snapshot of the currently reported 90 vessels operating around parts of the Pacific. 

    From the left : Type 055/Renhai-class cruiser Yan’an sailing alongside the Type 903A/Fuchi-class replenishment ship, the Luomahu, both tailed by the unidentified Type 054A/JIangkai II-class frigate. Image from Vantor.

    The images are from US satellite company Vantor and show a the Type 055/Renhai-class cruiser Yan’an, an unidentified Type 054A/JIangkai II-class frigate, a Type 903A/Fuchi-class replenishment ship, the Luomahu, and the Type 075/Yushen class LHD, the Hainan.

    Type 075/Yushen class LHD, the Hainan.

    The ships shown are currently operating in the Philippine Sea, according to officials with the Australian Defense Force. 

    According to Adm. David Johnson, chief of Australia’s defense force “We are aware the task group is composed of four ships, a Yushen landing helicopter dock assault, a Renhai-class cruiser, a Jiangkai-class frigate and Fuchi-class replenishment vessel, an Australian P-8 observed the task group on the evening of the second of December in the Philippine Sea, approximately 500 nautical miles north of Palau,”

    Speaking in a Senate hearing meeting Adm. Johnson said “We will continue to monitor this task group as we learn more about its direction, its purpose and intent,”

    Image of Task Group 107 which circumnavigated Australia in early 2025.


    In February and March of this year a PLAN task force made waves when it sailed around Australia.Task Group 107 made up of the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class Cruiser Zunyi, and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu were tracked throughout their journey by Australian maritime surveillance – Australian P-8 Poseidon aircraft.

    Image of a Royal Australian Air Force P-8 Poseidon.

    The Task force circumnavigated Australia and at one point carried out live fire drills only several miles outside of the eastern coast of Australia.

    The ships seen in the Vantor image are a good look at the PLAN capabilities.One of its biggest threats is its large destroyer, the Type 55.

    The Type 55/ Renhai-class guided- missile stealth cruiser is China’s largest of its missile carrying ships. Technically china classifies this ship as a destroyer but the size makes it more closer to what the rest of the world would consider a cruiser. It has a substantial armament with 112 vertical launchers putting it just under the 122 Ticonderoga and just over the 90-96 cells of the Arleigh Burke. The Renhai-class can launch a mixture of armaments of missiles from these cells. Anti-air, anti-sub, anti-ship and land attack missiles can all be launched from this system. Maritime combat analyst predict that in a conflict the Renhai-class will be used in the second island chain as one of its heavy hitters while smaller class ships defend closer to home. China currently possesses 8 of these. These ships have allowed China to extend its maritime operations further, including to the Middle East.

    The frigate, a Type 54 JIangkai II-class Is very similar to the Type 55 in that they were both heavily inspired by the French La Fayette-Class stealth frigate.

    French La Fayette-Class

    The Type 54 frigate is one of its most numerous ships in the PLAN with around 40 in service. Each carries a 36 cell HHQ-16 vertical launch system designed for medium range air defense.

    This image was made by Twitter user Ian Ellis. Ellis produces high quality, informative infographics and reports on a wide range of defense topics. This one shows a number of the currently deployed ships in the People’s Liberation Army Navy. The group shown in orange is the ships we have in the satellite images. The locations of the ships were discovered by Ellis and other investigators who track Chinese fleet movements. Several methods can be used for this task, such as Sentinels satellite hub, and maritime tracking services. 

    I wanted to shout out Ellis for his always quality work. Follow him at @Ianellisjones on Twitter.

  • Chinese warship and Coast Guard vessel collide while attempting to blockade Scarborough Shoal.

    Chinese coast guard Jiangdao-class cutter (CCG 3104) after colliding with PLAN warship.

    By. Scott Jackson

    08/11/2025

    Earlier today Chinese maritime Forces collided with each other while attempting to stop a Filipino vessel from distributing aid and supplies to fishermen in the disputed Scarborough Shoal area. BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) and BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406) escorted fishing carrier MV Pamamalakaya and 35 local fishing vessels in support of Manila’s Kadiwa Operation, a Philippine government-led initiative designed to support and empower fishing communities in the country’s western exclusive economic zone.

    The video above is taken from the stern of the BRP Suluan.

    A Chinese coast guard Jiangdao-class cutter (CCG 3104) one of several former People’s Liberation Army Navy 056-class corvettes, deployed water cannons on the Philippine vessel (BRP Sultan) and while giving chase to them a guided missile destroyer from the PLA Navy, the Guilin, a Type 52D Guided Missile Destroyer, crossed into the path of the Chinese Coast Guard ship causing them to strike the port side of the destroyer. This caused large damage to the front of the coast guard ship and to the port side bow of the destroyer. The Philippine Coast guard said that this accident rendered the cutter unseaworthy. You can see in the video what appears to be at least one sailor on the cutter attempting to put a fender on the front of the cutter to absorb the impact. After the accident the Philippine ships offered support and assistance. No information on if anybody was injured or killed however I have to imagine the sailors at the front of the Chinese cutter would be lucky to still be standing afterword. 

    A shot almost directly after the two ships collided.

    During the confrontation, Filipino coast guard vessel Teresa Magbanua remained on station to escort the Kadiwa supply mission, which then resupplied Philippine fishing vessels with fuel and provisions off Scarborough Shoal.

    “The Philippine Coast Guard reaffirms its dedication to safeguarding all maritime operations in the area and wishes for the swift recovery and proper treatment of any affected CCG personnel,”  Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said. 

    This attempt to blockade the Philippine ships is a blatant violation of the Philippines territorial sovereignty. The U.S. naval institute spoke to Ray Powell, director of the SeaLight Project at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. He had this to say, commenting on the situation.

     “China is now intercepting Philippine vessels well beyond any legitimate territorial sea claim, and using gray zone tactics such as swarming, blocking and water cannons to directly violate the Philippines’ freedom of navigation on the high seas,”

    One striking observation pointed out in all of this is the presence of a People Liberation Army Navy vessel. Most of the past dust ups have been between coast guard vessels or even Chinese militia sent in as thugs. Seeing the military directly involved here could signal a hardening of Beijing’s stance on the matter.

    This is just the latest incident in a long running series of violence and disputes over the Scarborough Shoal. The shoal is a maritime feature within Manila’s exclusive economic zone that Beijing claims under its ten-dash line assertion. Chinese forces effectively seized the shoal in 2012 but the area has remained a flashpoint. 

  • Chinese PLA Navy Forces conduct live fire drill in waters between Australia and New Zealand.

    Chinese PLA Navy Forces conduct live fire drill in waters between Australia and New Zealand.

    By. Scott Jackson

    February 24th, 2025

    Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships, first spotted last week according to Australian officials, have carried out a military drill in the Tasman Sea, the area between Australia and New Zealand. The drill, carried out on Friday, consisted of ship maneuvers as well as a live-fire component. Air traffic in the region was warned only moments before the live fire drills started and were forced to divert to other routes.

    “We haven’t been given a reason as to why they’re here in this configuration with this set of ships, with these different set of capabilities, and we don’t really have a sense of, you know, we haven’t been told where they’re going and why.”

    Said New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. He continued

    “They are in international waters, they are completely within the balance of international law and the UN Convention on the law on the sea, which is important, it is important that all countries have freedom of navigation, it works for us when we are out and about in the world as well.”

    The task force of Chinese ships was led by Type 055 destroyer Zunyi. Also was the Type 054A Frigate Hengyang, and Type 903 replenishment ship Weishanhu.

    (more…)