China expands desert base used for testing secret aircraft
Satellite images show new construction at the Chinese military air base over the past year.
Welcome to Views From Above, a newsletter bringing you satellite imagery snapshots of world events. Today, we are looking at China’s expansion of a secretive test air base located in a Chinese desert.
In China’s northwest desert, a military air base is growing. Situated far from any major city, this remote base serves as a test site for some of Beijing’s most secretive aerospace projects. The facility may play a role in China’s military space program, serving as a test site for next-generation space planes. Over the years, well-timed overhead passes by satellites have also captured photos of new aircraft in development at this base, like the J-36 stealth fighter jet below. Now, as first reported by The War Zone, China is expanding the site.
The changes include expanded aprons, new shelters for aircraft, and dozens of other new buildings for personnel and equipment. These facilities mark a substantial increase in the facility’s infrastructure, which was little more than a lone hangar near a runway just five years ago. The investment in this base’s expansion likely reflects Beijing’s plans to utilize this site more prominently in future aircraft development. Below is a time-lapse of the work China has done on this base over the past year.
China’s expansion of this base comes at a time of elevated aerospace competition between Washington and Beijing. The two countries are pursuing expanded capabilities in space, including lunar programs and satellite constellations. In the past few years, Washington and Beijing have also furthered plans develop a new generation of bombers, fighter jets, and drones — the kinds of platforms tested at sites like this one.
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