U.S. fears China obtained classified Aegis technology for new
destroyer
Geostrategy
26 March 2003
China is building a new destroyer in Shanghai that could be a copy
of the U.S. Aegis-equipped missile ship. It is the third of four
new ships.
The first two ships were built for anti-submarine warfare and
general purpose combat. The third ship, according to intelligence
sources, will be the first People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer
dedicated to anti-aircraft warfare.
The ship will have a displacement of about 8,500 tons and is
expected to be equipped with a high powered phased array radar
the key element in U.S. Aegis ships. U.S. officials suspect the
Chinese may have obtained classified U.S. radar technology on the
SPY-1 radar. Like the Aegis, the Chinese ship will have four panels
on its radar.
Speculation is that the ship will include a Chinese-made
radar-surface-to-air missile complex. China purchased two Russian
RIF naval SAM systems last year, which have a range of up to 90
kilometers that would be used against Taiwan's 235 kilometer-range
air-launched Harpoon missiles.
The RIF is based on the highly-effective Russian S-300 missile
systems.
The new warship would be used by Chinese forces in an attack on
Taiwan.