Dragon’s Eye Over The Horizon: China Develops Advanced Radar System To Monitor Areas As Large As India Over Pacific

China has created an advanced compact size maritime radar as part of its Over-the-Horizon (OTH) programme; the new technology will enable the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to ensure constant monitoring of maritime waters in the Pacific ocean in an area around the size of India, reports The New Indian Express.

The indigenously developed radar system will allow PLAN to cover all of China’s maritime boundaries, and detect any possible enemy threats, whether from ships, aircraft or even missiles.

The Chinese scientist credited with the program’s success, Liu Yongtan, who is an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), was awarded the country’s top science prize by President Xi Jinping. Another military scientist who was awarded the prize was Qian Qihu who played a prominent role in modernizing Chinese defence engineering and building the country’s underground nuclear shelters.

"Relying on traditional technologies, our surveillance and monitoring could only cover about 20 per cent of our maritime territory. With the new system, we can cover the whole area," Liu said about the advanced radar system.

Interestingly, a US defense manufacturer Raytheon had previously received a patent in 2016 for a similar radar technology. The Raytheon design uses antennae mounted on ships to receive signals.

Under their new system, the Chinese have constructed an antenna five times the New York’s size.