The automatic radar plotting aids (ARPA) of a type of radar on the "Yantai" warshipof the 11th escort taskforce under the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA), which was performing the escort mission in the Gulf of Aden, went on a sudden"strike" on the morning of May 24, 2012. The equipment technicians did repeatedchecks but couldn't clearly determine the cause of the malfunction. They then initiatedthe diagnosis system of the "Long-range Maintenance and Technical Support for ShipEquipment" in connection with the technical experts of an electronic science andtechnology department in Shanghai for a video diagnosis, promptly resolving themalfunction.

　　According to the briefing, the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy is conductingits first escort mission. Under the active coordination by the PLA Navy equipmentauthory, the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy had established a collaborativerelationship of the long-range equipment support with 400-plus military and civilianexperts from dozens of academies, science and technology research institutes,equipment manufacturers as well as various leading organs and troop units prior to itsdeparture.

　　The reporters learned that ever since the escort mission started, the technicalexperts of the collaborative units had carried out timely cross-ocean diagnosis to solvedifficult malfunctions on ship equipment through such methods as video guidance,telephone studies, network communication and the like, and had helped the taskforcesuccessfully troubleshoot two malfunctions as well as discover and address threehidden safety risks