The above pic is via China Defense Blog (there are many more pics over at their house ). One thing has become apparent. The Chinese have started the war over the disputed islands...not with weapons but construction equipment.
Why is a diplomatic dispute of interest to a defense blog?
Simple. The Chinese are killing two birds with one stone. They gain territory...constructed territory...they have "pickets" out at sea to establish forward aircraft refueling points that can never be sunk plus they have the option of placing powerful radar that can extend "over the horizon" coverage for their forces.
I don't have the coordinates for these man made islands but if they're close enough to the Japanese mainland and/or the radars are powerful enough, then they could be close to having 24/7 coverage of every plane and ship that sorties out of their...to include US aircraft.
This is smart. Real smart. Plus I don't see how it can be credibly disputed.
