A number of unofficial sources and several Asian defense outlets recently reported that China had deployed its specialized intelligence ship Liaowang-1 to the Gulf of Oman near Iran. Some reports even claimed that the vessel was accompanied by two Chinese missile destroyers, Type 055 and Type 052D.
Liaowang-1 was commissioned only in the spring of 2025 and has a highly specialized mission: monitoring space activity and tracking missile launches. To perform these tasks, the ship is equipped with multiple radar systems, some of which are housed under large radomes.
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Given China's secrecy, the exact capabilities of this vessel, which has a displacement of about 30,000 tons and a length of 332 meters, have not been disclosed. However, it is reasonable to assume that it carries some of the most powerful sensor systems China could install on such a platform.
These likely include not only various radar systems but also electronic intelligence equipment and even an optical telescope. Stabilizing such a telescope on a ship would have been a complex engineering challenge.
From the perspective of analyzing U.S. missile defense systems, Liaowang-1 could indeed possess a unique set of tools. These capabilities could also potentially be used to detect American and Israeli fighter aircraft, with the possibility that such data might be shared with Iran.
For this reason, the ship’s deployment near Iran would make strategic sense. At the same time, such a move would likely be viewed not only by the United States but also by the countries of the Persian Gulf as an unfriendly act.
However, according to maritime tracking services, as of March 9 the Chinese vessel Liaowang-1 remains in Shanghai. This does not appear to be an attempt at deception, as recent satellite imagery confirms that the ship has not left China, according to analyst MT Anderson.
From the Defense Express perspective, this of course does not mean that China has not deployed intelligence vessels somewhere in the Gulf of Oman or even the Persian Gulf. However, such ships would likely resemble civilian vessels and would hardly carry such sophisticated and easily identifiable equipment.
In fact, the very fact that Beijing has kept Liaowang-1 at port rather than sending it toward Iran clearly demonstrates China's cautious position regarding the conflict.
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