An average of 4 aircraft a day! The US military continues to scout China's coastline, using false identification codes to deceive the PLA!

According to publicly traceable ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) signal data statistics, in November alone, the US military dispatched 115 large reconnaissance aircraft to carry out close reconnaissance missions in the South China Sea and surrounding airspace. What does this number mean? Simple calculation: 115 sorties divided by 30 days, averaging nearly 3.8 sorties per day—meaning that almost every 6 hours, a US reconnaissance aircraft appears in the relevant area.

These data are based solely on aircraft that have turned on ADS-B signals and use real identification codes. However, a large amount of evidence shows that the US military often turns off ADS-B transmitters or deliberately uses false identification codes during sensitive reconnaissance missions to evade tracking by foreign radar and civil aviation monitoring systems.

On November 5, an RC-135W "Rivet Joint" electronic reconnaissance aircraft belonging to the US Air Force's 97th Intelligence Squadron took off from Kadena Air Base in Japan, heading for the northern airspace of the South China Sea. The aircraft displayed the call sign "RRRR" in the ADS-B signal, but comparison with the International Civil Aviation database shows no such registration information, making it highly likely to be a forged identification code.

A similar situation occurred again on November 13: the same model RC-135W reappeared in the South China Sea, its ADS-B code displayed as a civilian cargo aircraft number, but its flight trajectory, altitude, and speed did not match commercial flight characteristics, instead aligning with typical military reconnaissance flight heights.

The RC-135W is a main electronic intelligence collection platform for the US military, capable of real-time interception of radar, communication, navigation, and other electromagnetic signals, posing a direct threat to coastal defense systems. These aircraft typically hover in international airspace 100 to 200 kilometers from China's territorial sea baseline for several hours, covering areas including Guangdong, Hainan, and even the Paracel Islands.

What is even more concerning is that the US military is not only increasing the frequency but also constantly upgrading its concealment techniques. In addition to using false call signs, some P-8A "Poseidon" anti-submarine patrol aircraft even completely turn off ADS-B signals, relying solely on military data links to communicate with command centers, making it difficult for third parties to monitor their actions through conventional means. Open-source aviation tracking platforms indicate that in November, at least 20 US military reconnaissance flights left no ADS-B records, and the actual total number of sorties is likely far beyond the 115 figure.