U.S. warships have recently moved frequently in the South China Sea, and Sino-U.S. relations continue to be tense.
Satellite images taken by the U.S. space technology company in October show that the Chinese military has built test facilities at a weapons test range in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang, similar to the shape of U.S. aircraft carriers and U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which are believed to be used as training targets.
According to Hong Kong media “Sing Tao Daily” reported on November 9, the two types of ships are deployed by the U.S. Seventh Fleet, which is responsible for patrolling the Western Pacific Ocean, including the waters around Taiwan.
The facility is located in the Taklamakan Desert region of Xinjiang, and satellite images provided by Maxar show that a carrier-shaped plane is clearly visible in the desert.
The plane has the outline of the complete U.S. aircraft carrier appearance, but there is no island, aircraft landing equipment and other details. The target, which simulates other ships, appears to be more detailed, with many straight rods that appear to be instruments, simulating the superstructure of a ship.
This test facility also has a large track system. Satellite images taken on Oct. 9 show a 75-meter-long target covered with instruments placed on a 6-meter-wide section of track, most likely to simulate a large ship on the move.
Analysis says the Chinese target is more sophisticated than the crude U.S. naval vessel targets set up by Iran in the Persian Gulf.
USNI News said the facility was captured clearly by satellite, suggesting Beijing is trying to demonstrate its missile force capabilities to the U.S.
When the Chinese military test-fired its “carrier killer” DF-21D missiles into the South China Sea last August, Admiral Philip Scot Davidson, former commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, later told a Senate panel that it was a “clear and unmistakable signal” that China was targeting U.S. forces.
U.S. warships have been operating frequently in the South China Sea recently. On November 3, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier left the South China Sea via the Balabac Strait to enter the Sulu Sea, and on November 4, it entered the South China Sea again via the Mindoro Strait, entering and exiting the South China Sea in two days and sailing through the key straits, a tactical move that is said to be rare. Such a tactical move is said to be very rare.
According to the Chinese think tank “South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness” on November 5, 2021, the U.S. carriers are paying more and more attention to the straits between the Philippine islands, and the frequent use of the Bass Strait is decreasing, which is actually practicing the survival and operational application of the carrier strike group under extreme circumstances.
In addition, since entering the South China Sea via the Malacca Strait on Oct. 24, the USS Carl Vinson has been maneuvering around the Spratly Islands, suspected of practicing circuitous encirclement tactics against the Spratlys.
