Chinese Army May Disrupt THAAD Radar Signals, PLA Officials Say

China may take countermeasures against a U.S. anti-missile defense system in South Korea by dispatching planes close to the system and hampering its radar signals, an aviation equipment expert with the Chinese air force said, according to a Monday report by South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) has met with strong opposition from China and Russia with both nations claiming the system would be used to monitor their activities. The two countries also agreed in January to take countermeasures against THAAD. China, in particular, has voiced firm disapproval of the deployment with South Korean media claiming Beijing has unofficially carried out sanctions against Seoul.

Read: THAAD Deployment Could Trigger Missile Race In Asia-Pacific Region, Russia Warns

Fu Qianshao, the aviation equipment expert with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, told SCMP that Beijing may interfere with THAAD’s radar signals by sending manned or unmanned planes close to the system. Also, Wang Hongguang, a retired PLA general, said China has its own anti-radar equipment to tackle THAAD.

“We will complete our deployment before THAAD begins operations. There is no need to wait for two months [before the election of the next South Korean president],” Wang said on the sidelines of political sessions in Beijing, SCMP reported. “We already have such equipment in place. We just have to move it to the right spot.”

The U.S. began moving parts of THAAD at its Osan Air Base in South Korea earlier this month. The deployment — according to Washington and Seoul — is a bid to tackle growing nuclear threat from North Korea, which launched four ballistic missiles March 6 apparently to target U.S. bases in Japan.

Yue Gang, a military commentator and former PLA colonel, is of the opinion that China may destroy or neutralize THAAD.

“Destroying [THAAD] should only be an option during wartime,” Yue said, adding that his country is capable of interfering with the system’s functions with electromagnetic technology.

The missile system can intercept short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles and has long-range radar. It is also capable of interrupting North Korea’s intermediate-range ballistic missiles.