Its search range for combat aircraft appears to be around 500 to 550 kilometers (300 to 330 miles). The design requirements for both Russian and Japanese phased array radar systems are such that even if 10 percent of the elements are lost, the radar system can continue to function.

China has built only two 052C DDGs outfitted with this advanced radar system; its purpose is to test the effectiveness of the Sea Lion for future installation on Chinese aircraft carriers.

This radar system on the No. 171 DDG, currently deployed in the Gulf of Aden, makes it possible for the People's Liberation Army navy to monitor most of the airspace above Yemen, Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.

Tankers carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia would have to go through this strait. In addition, the Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Pacific Fleet based in Bahrain, the forward headquarters of the U.S. Central Command located in Qatar, and the activities of the combat aircraft of the Saudi Arabian air force could all come under the surveillance of the Chinese Aegis radar system.

Of course, while en route to the Indian Ocean -- past the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and through the Strait of Malacca -- the Chinese Aegis-equipped warships can conduct surveillance, including the airspace above southern India.

The activities of the air forces in the above countries and voice communication signals also may be monitored and intercepted. A number of these countries have territorial disputes with China on land or sea.

Moreover, the No. 171 and No. 169 DDGs are equipped with China's best electronic intelligence acquisition and countermeasure systems, and their antenna arrays are very similar to the electronic intelligence acquisition and support systems developed by Israel. These systems can effectively detect and acquire the radar signals of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and record the data.

Naturally, the equipment also can monitor the radar signals and frequencies of the naval warships of the countries along this route. The No. 171 DDG is equipped with the NRJ6A ESM/ESM system; according to at least one military source, this microelectronic system is imported from Israel.

Any navy ship formation requires the support of a powerful underwater outpost force and reinforced anti-submarine capability to be able to engage in effective three-dimensional warfare. The best anti-submarine measure, of course, is using submarines to undertake anti-tracking operations.

Consequently, the possibility cannot be excluded that new generation 093 SSN or other diesel-powered submarines may have played the role of underwater outpost during recent anti-piracy actions of the PLA navy in the Gulf of Aden.

Behind the curtain of the anti-piracy operations is, in fact, the rivalry of the naval forces of the major powers in establishing their new "national interest frontiers."

(Andrei Chang is editor in chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, registered in Toronto.)

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