PLAN Naval Base UAP Intrusion 2009

On August 19, 2009, US signals intelligence assets monitoring Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy communications detected an internal PLAN security alert describing an unidentified disc-shaped craft performing low-altitude hovering maneuvers over the Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island's southern coast — China's primary base for nuclear-armed submarines. Chinese communications indicated extreme security concern as the craft appeared to conduct a systematic reconnaissance pattern over the most sensitive submarine pens. PLAN security forces reportedly attempted to intercept the craft using helicopters but the craft departed before an intercept was possible. The incident created significant alarm among US intelligence analysts who noted that Chinese reactions indicated neither the PLAN nor the PLA Air Force claimed to control the intruding craft. The incident was entered into a classified DoD comparative analysis of UAP activity over submarine bases globally — a pattern that by 2009 had accumulated over 60 years of documented incidents across US, Soviet, British, and now Chinese naval facilities.