A leaked maritime radio recording has surfaced showing a Chinese Navy warship experiencing what appears to be a complete failure of its radar and optical identification systems during operations.
Despite a target being less than 3 kilometers away, the warship was unable to identify it. Crew members repeatedly contacted a nearby civilian vessel over the radio, asking the captain to visually confirm the target’s identity and read its hull number.
The warship’s personnel sounded urgent as they inquired about a vessel heading north, approximately 1.4 nautical miles off their port side. They even asked whether it was a private ship or a coast guard vessel.
The warship ultimately relied on the civilian boat’s naked-eye observation to clarify the situation.
At the end of the exchange, the naval crew repeatedly responded “Okay, okay, okay” and expressed thanks to the civilian captain.