Recent satellite images from China’s remote Xinjiang desert reveal a chilling military exercise: mock-ups of advanced U.S. fighter jets and aircraft carriers are being used for target practice by the Chinese military. These replicas, which resemble U.S. stealth fighters and naval ships, are seen being bombed and damaged in the desert, suggesting that China is honing its targeting and radar technology for potential future conflicts. This covert operation, spotted by satellite and reported by the South China Morning Post, highlights China’s focus on refining its military capabilities against U.S. assets in a startling display of modern warfare preparation.
The Chinese military has been training for strikes on US fighter jets and aircraft carriers in the isolated deserts of Xinjiang, northwest China, according to recently released satellite photographs reports the South China Morning Post.
In a recent analysis of the photos, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) determined that Google Earth took the pictures on May 29. The photos feature mock-ups of jets that resemble cutting-edge US stealth fighters.
The photographs were first brought to attention by the Turkey-based Clash Report, whose publication is highlighted by SCMP. The caption reads, “Chinese PLA Air Force pilots are learning to practice air strikes on American F-35 and F-22 mock-ups.”
The Taklamakan Desert’s Qakilik (or Ruoqiang County) has been suggested as a possible location within the Xingjiang region, but neither acknowledged by the Chinese government nor confirmed by any official source.
A number of the PLA aerial bombing runs appeared to have damaged some of the mock-up stealth aircraft, as evidenced by blackened craters in a runway at the imaginary airbase.
The same spot in the desert appears to be depicted in two distinct Business Insider reports that were obtained on different dates. The photos, which Planet Labs PBC took in late April, also depict about 20 aircraft close to a runway.
The P-8A Poseidon and the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft appear to be among the aircraft that mimic US stealth fighters.
Earlier this year, in the Taklamakan Desert, Planet Labs also managed to photograph what appeared to be a mock-up of a US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
In comments to the publication, one expert pointed out that the mock-ups are probably not only for target practice but also for fine-tuning radar, weapons-guidance software, and sensitive electronics.
According to the expert, “these mock-ups potentially allowed China to refine seekers with image-recognition capabilities and help it develop the ability to accurately target particular ships or even specific parts of ships where a missile could do the most damage.”
This month, GreatGameIndia reported that Chinese troops have joined Belarusian forces for major military exercises near NATO’s borders in Europe, raising eyebrows and tensions.
