The silhouette in the desert that recreates the American aircraft carrier Ford: It is the new “ship” that has appeared in China’s Taklamakan Mountains in Xiniang Province.
Planet Labs Inc. satellite photos posted on the War Zone website show its presence.
Beijing has for some time been building targets that replicate U.S. units, life-size (or almost) structures to provide training: the military trains for air strikes, but especially for missile strikes.
The People's Army has developed systems such as the DF 21 and hypersonic carriers that are intended to counter the presence of US aircraft carriers in the event of a conflict in the Pacific. Programs that have sparked debate among experts about the vulnerability of U.S. Navy operational forces.
The initial objectives of the site were rather simple, concrete “profiles” in a desert area. They were then made more realistic with the addition of the “tower”, which houses the command center and the equipment that must represent antennas, radars and all the equipment present on the giants of the seas.
In addition to the “Ford”, a model of a Burke-class destroyer and walls reminiscent of the piers of a harbor were created.
– Photo courtesy of Planet Labs
At that time, Iran also used a large fuselage with a flight deck in some exercises, which was supposed to be “reminiscent” of the American aircraft carrier Nimitz. A replica was “destroyed” at least a few times during real fire maneuvers and then accidentally sank off Bandar Abbas in the summer of 2020.