The Yu-8 is an evolution in China’s naval weaponry.
The recent revelation that Beijing has built large and numerous hangar facilities on its islets in the South China Sea is set to increase the temperature of the South China Sea cauldron yet again. I have argued before in this forumthat these runway facilities are not that significant to the overall military balance, because any such airstrips (including ours in the region) are highly vulnerable to attacks by precision-guided munitions. In modern warfare, if the target can be seen, it can invariably be destroyed. Hardly any target is quite so visible as a runway and its related infrastructure. Strategists would be wiser to maintain focus on the undersea contest that has generally favored the United States and its allies.