During the Cold War, the United States military operated high-altitude aircraft like the U2 “Dragon Lady” and SR-71 “Blackbird” to serve as an eye in the sky before developing sophisticated satellites fitted with powerful cameras to get a peek at positions in the Soviet Union and China. However, intelligence can be more easily gathered thanks to open-source satellite websites – while off-the-shelf drones are also providing a bird’s eye view in ways that weren’t possible just a few years ago.
Such was the case this week. Three Chinese students have been accused of employing a small drone to illegally record a video of the United States Navy’s Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) while the warship was docked at the South Korean Naval Operations Command (NOC) in the southeastern city of Busan on June 25. The carrier arrived with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Halsey (DDG-97) and USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118) three days earlier in advance of the Freedom Edge trilateral naval exercises with the Republic of Korea Navy (RoN) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
It was the first visit by CVN-71 to South Korea, and the first U.S. aircraft carrier to visit the Korean peninsula in seven months, according to a report from the South China Morning Post.
Accused of Spying
The Chinese nationals – who are between the ages of 30 and 49 – were accused of violating the Enforcement Decree of the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act. The trio has claimed their action was motivated by curiosity and a drone the three were operating reportedly recorded about five minutes of footage of the U.S. Navy warship and the NOC base.
The panoramic view recording of the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the base was taken the same day that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the warship. South Korean soldiers on patrol at the time spotted the drone flying overhead, although it is unclear if any effort was made to down it.
The U.S. Navy has deferred the investigation to South Korean authorities.
Second Spy Drone Incident This Year
This was the second time this year that a video was recorded of a U.S. Navy supercarrier. Photos and videos of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) in port at Yokosuka, Japan, also circulated in early April on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The base is home to the United States Navy’s Seventh Fleet.
Four photos showed the carrier, the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), and multiple destroyers – along with much of the base’s port facilities. The U.S. Navy has speculated, but not confirmed, that a civilian drone was involved. It is also believed that a Chinese citizen recorded the video.
Another Chinese drone was also suspected of recording the JMSDF’s JS Izumo, a helicopter carrier currently being modified to operate as an aircraft carrier with the short/vertical takeoff and landing F-35B Lightning II multirole fighter. The video of the Japanese flattop was also recorded at the JMSDF Yokosuka Base in Kanagawa Prefecture south of Tokyo, and it made the rounds on various Chinese social media platforms.
Flying a drone over JMSDF-related facilities including the Yokosuka base, and surrounding areas, is prohibited by law. Drone flights are also restricted above key public and diplomatic areas as well as nuclear power facilities in Japan.
Chinese Warships Also Recorded
It remains unclear if the recent videos were recorded at the behest of Beijing, or if it is just a case of over-eager naval enthusiasts. However, China has also seen photos and videos of its warships shared on social media.
In March, images of its Type 003 Fujian aircraft carrier were reportedly taken from a commercial airliner that flew over the warship as it was stationed at Shanghai’s Jiangnang Shipyard during its mooring trials.
