Latest news with #USNSHowardO.Lorenzen
Miami Herald
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Map Shows US Missile-Tracking Ship Pinging Off China's Coast
A United States special mission vessel—designed to monitor missile launches—was spotted underway off China's coast in the Yellow Sea last month, according to ship-tracking data. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Seventh Fleet, which is responsible for America's naval operations in the western Pacific, and China's Defense Ministry for comment via email. Under the Special Mission program, the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command operates approximately 20 ships, including the USNS Howard O. Lorenzen, the country's only missile range instrumentation ship, which provides support for military and other government missions. The presence of the Howard O. Lorenzen—capable of collecting data on missile launches—near the Chinese coastline comes as the Pentagon warns of a growing missile threat posed by China to U.S. bases, allies, and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Another U.S. "Special Mission" ship, the ocean surveillance ship USNS Victorious, was tracked operating in the contested South China Sea from late May to early June. The ship is designed to collect undersea acoustic data in support of anti-submarine warfare development. Using open-source ship-tracking data, a Newsweek map shows that the Howard O. Lorenzen was underway in Sasebo Bay, located in western Japan, on June 6. It later transited across the East China Sea and reached the Yellow Sea to the northwest, near China's eastern coast. The American missile-tracking ship was last tracked in the Yellow Sea on June 26, about 100 miles off the Chinese coastline—well beyond the country's 13.8-mile-wide territorial waters—and near Yuchi Naval Base, home to China's first aircraft carrier, CNS Liaoning. The mission of the Howard O. Lorenzen near China remains unclear. Equipped with a radar system known as Cobra King, the 12,642-ton ship serves as the sea-based component of the Pentagon's Cobra program, monitoring missile and space launches, according to the U.S. Air Force. The Chinese military has yet to announce any missile launches, and it is unclear whether the Howard O. Lorenzen was shadowed by the Chinese navy while operating in the Yellow Sea. In addition to the deployment of a missile-tracking ship, a U.S. Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft—capable of collecting optical and electronic data on ballistic targets—was spotted flying over the Yellow Sea on June 24, according to open-source flight-tracking data. The sensor-equipped aircraft was launched from Kadena Air Base, a U.S. airpower outpost on Japan's Okinawa Island. It arrived for forward deployment in early June, replacing another Cobra Ball aircraft that was returning to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command said: "Missile range instrumentation ships serve as platforms for monitoring missile launches and collecting data that can be used to improve missile efficiency and accuracy. These ships monitor foreign missile and weapons tests that may pose potential threats to air or surface navigation." The U.S. Air Forcesaid: "The RC-135S, equipped with a sophisticated array of optical and electronic sensors, recording media, and communications equipment, is a national asset uniquely suited to provide America's leaders and defense community with vital information that cannot be obtained by any other source." It remains to be seen how long the Howard O. Lorenzen will remain deployed in the Yellow Sea, and whether other "Special Mission" ships will operate in waters surrounding China. Related Articles Map Shows Major US Naval Presence in West Pacific Amid China RivalryUS Military Issues Update on China's Rocket Force ThreatChina Research Ship Spotted on NATO's DoorstepRepublican Says 'Most' of Iran's Uranium Is Still There 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Map Shows US Missile-Tracking Ship Pinging Off China's Coast
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A United States special mission vessel—designed to monitor missile launches—was spotted underway off China's coast in the Yellow Sea last month, according to ship-tracking data. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Seventh Fleet, which is responsible for America's naval operations in the western Pacific, and China's Defense Ministry for comment via email. Why It Matters Under the Special Mission program, the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command operates approximately 20 ships, including the USNS Howard O. Lorenzen, the country's only missile range instrumentation ship, which provides support for military and other government missions. The presence of the Howard O. Lorenzen—capable of collecting data on missile launches—near the Chinese coastline comes as the Pentagon warns of a growing missile threat posed by China to U.S. bases, allies, and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Another U.S. "Special Mission" ship, the ocean surveillance ship USNS Victorious, was tracked operating in the contested South China Sea from late May to early June. The ship is designed to collect undersea acoustic data in support of anti-submarine warfare development. What To Know Using open-source ship-tracking data, a Newsweek map shows that the Howard O. Lorenzen was underway in Sasebo Bay, located in western Japan, on June 6. It later transited across the East China Sea and reached the Yellow Sea to the northwest, near China's eastern coast. USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25) Missile Range Instrumentation Ship leaving Sasebo, Japan this week - posted June 7, 2025 SRC: TW-WarshipCam — WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) June 7, 2025 The American missile-tracking ship was last tracked in the Yellow Sea on June 26, about 100 miles off the Chinese coastline—well beyond the country's 13.8-mile-wide territorial waters—and near Yuchi Naval Base, home to China's first aircraft carrier, CNS Liaoning. The mission of the Howard O. Lorenzen near China remains unclear. Equipped with a radar system known as Cobra King, the 12,642-ton ship serves as the sea-based component of the Pentagon's Cobra program, monitoring missile and space launches, according to the U.S. Air Force. The Chinese military has yet to announce any missile launches, and it is unclear whether the Howard O. Lorenzen was shadowed by the Chinese navy while operating in the Yellow Sea. In addition to the deployment of a missile-tracking ship, a U.S. Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft—capable of collecting optical and electronic data on ballistic targets—was spotted flying over the Yellow Sea on June 24, according to open-source flight-tracking data. The sensor-equipped aircraft was launched from Kadena Air Base, a U.S. airpower outpost on Japan's Okinawa Island. It arrived for forward deployment in early June, replacing another Cobra Ball aircraft that was returning to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. What People Are Saying The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command said: "Missile range instrumentation ships serve as platforms for monitoring missile launches and collecting data that can be used to improve missile efficiency and accuracy. These ships monitor foreign missile and weapons tests that may pose potential threats to air or surface navigation." The U.S. Air Force said: "The RC-135S, equipped with a sophisticated array of optical and electronic sensors, recording media, and communications equipment, is a national asset uniquely suited to provide America's leaders and defense community with vital information that cannot be obtained by any other source." What Happens Next It remains to be seen how long the Howard O. Lorenzen will remain deployed in the Yellow Sea, and whether other "Special Mission" ships will operate in waters surrounding China.
South China Morning Post
05-04-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China flexes military muscles with rare, large-scale missile test in Gobi Desert
In a quiet demonstration of its technological prowess, China's People's Liberation Army ( PLA ) has conducted a missile defence test in the Gobi Desert where as many as 16 ballistic missiles were fired on a single target to test a cutting-edge radar system's ability to thwart saturation attacks. Advertisement The unprecedented scale of the test – rare even among global military powers – signals Beijing's growing confidence in its capacity to counter advanced threats and project dominance in an increasingly tense geopolitical landscape. According to a paper published on February 18 by Zhang Zhenbiao, a senior engineer with the PLA's 63623 Unit in Jiuquan, Gansu province, all missiles were successfully detected and tracked by a new dual-band (S/X) phased array radar system, before hitting the target with 100 per cent success. The system achieved what the Chinese military scientists described as 'early detection, precision measurement and accurate reporting' – critical metrics for neutralising advanced threats like hypersonic glide vehicles or missiles armed with decoys and multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs). The test, detailed in Flight Control & Detection, a Chinese-language journal, marks the first public disclosure of China's land-based early warning radar capabilities. Advertisement Its dual-band technology – similar to the US Navy's USNS Howard O. Lorenzen missile-tracking ship – combines wide-area surveillance (S-band) with high-resolution targeting (X-band). While the Lorenzen is hailed for its unmatched capability, with the potential to track more than 1,000 targets simultaneously, the United States has never publicly demonstrated its performance under live-fire conditions.
