Chinese Warships, Bombers Surge to Scarborough Shoal for Drills
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Beijing surged an amphibious group and bombers equipped for maritime strike to Scarborough Shoal over the weekend, flexing its power projection capabilities at the disputed South China Sea maritime feature 120 nautical miles off the Philippines. Chinese forces took to the air and the water around Scarborough Shoal for a series of drills. According to a Saturday news release from the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, the drills were designed to “safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.” China attributes possession of Scarborough Shoal under its 10-Dash Line claim, which encompasses the majority of
PLAN amphibious group at Scarborough Shoal on Aug. 1, 2026. PLA photo MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Beijing surged an amphibious group and bombers equipped for maritime strike to Scarborough Shoal over the weekend, flexing its power projection capabilities at the disputed South China Sea maritime feature 120 nautical miles off the Philippines.
Chinese forces took to the air and the water around Scarborough Shoal for a series of drills. According to a Saturday news release from the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, the drills were designed to “safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
China attributes possession of Scarborough Shoal under its 10-Dash Line claim, which encompasses the majority of the South China Sea and waters around Taiwan. The dispute has fueled over a decade of low intensity clashes with the Philippines, manifesting at the flashpoints of Second Thomas, Sabina and Scarborough shoals.
The news release from the command showcases a formation composed of the PLAN’s most advanced warships sailing near Scarborough Shoal on Saturday. The force included a Type 052D-class guided-missile destroyer, Type 071-class landing platform dock, Type 054A-class frigate and a Type 056A-class corvette. The Type 071’s embarked landing craft and aviation complement, which also included a new Z-20 helicopter, were also deployed around Scarborough Shoal.
In the air, Chinese forces sortied at least two H-6K bombers equipped with supersonic YJ-12 anti-ship cruise missiles. Beijing routinely deploys these long-range strike aircraft in pairs following Philippine-led maritime cooperative activities to showcase their ship-sinking capabilities. One KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft was also highlighted in media covering the drills.
The PLA Southern Theater Command conducted joint naval air training on Aug. 1, 2026, near Scarborough Shoal. PLA photo The Chinese military’s show of force on Saturday followed another drill around Scarborough Shoal that involved the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s newest class of guided-missile frigate and light combat aircraft.
The deployment of PLA forces off Luzon represents the new normal that has developed in response to Philippine efforts.
While Manila has expanded drills to the contested areas, Chinese forces maintain the capability to deny and overwhelm their Philippine counterparts. Saturday’s drills saw a deployment of Chinese warships and strike aircraft with missile capabilities that can strike the bulk of Manila’s forces with impunity in a contingency. Philippine warships procured in the country’s recent modernization programs lack the air defense systems and anti-ship missiles needed to counter the Chinese frigates and destroyers they face off against.
With the disparity of forces, Washington is looking to give Manila the ability to combat Beijing’s large conventional fleet with one-way attack drones and unmanned surface vessels. The initiative, dubbed the Asymmetric Capabilities Program, plans to transfer armed drones and lethal capabilities to the Armed Forces of the Philippines by 2027.
