A satellite image from May shows life-size models of several US fighter jets in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
14:25 JST, July 5, 2024
BEIJING – A number of life-size models of advanced American fighter jets have been discovered in a desert in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily reported.
The models of the US F-22 stealth fighter and the advanced F-35 version seen in the Taklamakan Desert are apparently being used by the Chinese air force as training targets.
According to the report published Monday, the fake plane and what appears to be a runway can be seen in a satellite image taken in late May. There are visible bullet holes on the runway and several planes have been destroyed.
Since F-35 fighter jets are stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, there is speculation that the setting is intended to mimic an American base in Japan.
Similar activities have taken place in the Taklamakan Desert in the past. It was previously confirmed that full-scale missiles were aimed at a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and a missile-guided destroyer.
