Planet imagery shows PLA Air Force (PLAAF) H-6 bombers and a Y-20 transport at Woody Island in the South China Sea. A PLAAF or PLA Naval Air Force (PLANAF) KJ-500 is also present. (Planet Labs PBC/Janes)
Imagery acquired 0644Z on 14 September confirmed that China dispatched two Xiʼan H-6 twin-engine bombers to Woody Island, a strategically significant location in the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea. The aircraft were not visibly armed at the time of image capture.
The bombers were supported by a Xiʼan Y-20 strategic transport and a Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. The AEW&C has been consistently operating from the island since early 2025. Imagery indicates that the bombers arrived by 11 September and departed by 17 September, with patrols occurring throughout the period.
With increasing tensions between Beijing and Manila, the H-6s were almost certainly deployed as a response to activities in the region. Between 11 and 13 September, the Philippines, Japan and the United States conducted a joint maritime patrol exercise in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The exercise prompted an official statement on 14 September from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, warning Manila against provocations and escalating tensions through external interference.
Earlier in 2025, the US and the Philippines held their seventh bilateral maritime exercise in June, followed by Exercise ‘Cope Thunder’ between 7 and 15 July, which focused on joint air operations from Clark Air Base, Luzon.
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