KEY POINTS
- The replicas were seen on the eastern edge of the desert
- Two targets appear to be modeled on ships in port
- Older mock-ups of piers and destroyers have vanished
China has been building mock targets in a remote desert to test long-range ballistic missiles. New satellite images show the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) set up a "large-scale target," including a naval base, to hone its ship-killing skills in the Taklamakan Desert.
The replicas have been constructed along the eastern edge of the desert, according to new satellite photos. Several of these are naval and two have layouts that appear to be modeled on ships in port, reported USNI News.
Satellite images had earlier proved that China had constructed an elaborate replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier. Though a site with full-scale piers and a destroyer-sized ship-like target was spotted eight miles southwest of the carrier layout in December, they are now gone. The report added that a test missile hit a dead center on the ship replica in February, after which the targets were quickly disassembled.
The new targets were reportedly discovered by All-Source Analysis with more details revealed by high-resolution satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies as part of the research into aircraft carrier targets.
Another naval base target has also been discovered, about 190 miles southwest by an independent defense analyst Damien Symons. This location has a pier layout, similar to the destroyer-like site, and includes ship targets. The nature, location, and strikes on these sites hint they are for testing ballistic missiles, the report added.
There are signs of sophisticated targeting, Damien Symons was quoted by USNI News. "The layout of the targets is very calculated. The orientations, shapes, and sizes are consistent across multiple targets. There is nothing haphazard about these sites," he added.
According to the defense analyst, the targets appear to be shaped by laying metal sheets on the ground. "This is a different material to the piers and buildings. It may reflect heat or radar differently, this also might give us an indication of the complex systems and effort behind these experiments," he was quoted by USNI News.
China is reportedly developing several anti-ship ballistic missiles. Recently, a new video has emerged showing a People's Liberation Army Xian H-6N bomber carrying a potent and mysterious air-launched anti-ship ballistic missile slung along the bottom of its fuselage. Besides land-based DF-21D and DF-26, China also recently test-fired a YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship missile from a destroyer, the video of which went viral. According to reports, those missiles are a greater threat than DF-21 and DF-26 missiles.
Representation. Military vehicles carrying DF-21D ballistic missiles. Photo: Reuters/Damir Sagolj
