Satellite images have shown China’s military building precise replicas of US aircraft carriers and destroyers for missile target practice in the Taklamakan Desert, as Taiwan tensions rise
Recent satellite images have shown that Xi Jinping’s forces are constructing exact replicas of US aircraft carriers and destroyers to use as missile targets.
These secret schemes to obliterate American naval ships are being actively pursued deep in the remote Taklamakan Desert. Expecting a looming clash over Taiwan and, consequently, Washington too, should the US intervene to protect the island, preparations are well underway.
To ensure maximum accuracy, Beijing employs copies virtually identical to American warships, allowing it to rehearse strikes with pinpoint precision. While it remains unclear whether Washington would formally protect Taiwan during an assault, most analysts believe the US would likely intervene. Without American support, the self-ruled island would struggle enormously to preserve its independence.
Additionally signs that China’s People’s Liberation Army is contemplating an attack on the capital have surfaced, as they have constructed life-size models of key government structures and Taiwan’s presidential palace, reports the Express US.
Initially spotted in February, a three-dimensional copy of a US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer has been taking form in an enormous desert, tucked between two towering, jagged mountain chains.
The intricate replica closely resembles the American original, featuring a full mast and even aspects of its radar systems. Now, three months on, the construction appears almost finished, although its location 1,678 miles away from any body of water suggests it’s highly unlikely to ever set sail.
Damien Symon, a geo-intelligence researcher at AI-analysis firm The Intel Lab who first identified several of the maritime models, told the Telegraph that the precision of the replicas “signals a highly specific focus on potential adversaries rather than generic capability building.”
In addition to replicating US warships, engineers in Beijing are busily building models of fighter jets, naval bases, and Taiwanese presidential buildings. As the president continues preparations to take control of the strategic Pacific island democracy, Beijing has been utilising these mock-ups to test its ever-growing arsenal of long-range weapons and new AI systems.
The United States deploys more than 55,000 troops in Japan under a mutual security treaty, marking its largest military presence outside American borders. In the event of Washington stepping in during a crisis over Taiwan, these personnel would play a crucial role.
Destroyer Squadron 15 currently oversees 10 Arleigh Burke-class ships permanently stationed at Yokosuka.
“It’s one of the most important US bases. If China attacked Taiwan, the Yokosuka Naval Base would presumably be involved, so they include a model of Yokosuka for anti-access and area denial drills,” Lu Li-shih, a former lieutenant commander in Taiwan’s navy, told The Telegraph.
Besides practical military drills, experts highlight that building these physical replicas acts as a signalling device aimed at potential international foes.
“It’s messaging to Japan that ‘if there’s a fight, you’re going to be in it’. It’s messaging to the US that “if you try to intervene, we’re going to strike your bases. And messaging to Taiwan that “we are practicing to take your capital,”‘ said Thomas Shugart, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a former US Navy submarine commander.