Model of US supercarrier appears in Chinese desert?

According to Business Insider , the object simulating the shape of a US aircraft carrier could be a device in the Chinese military's targeting exercise. The model is said to help Beijing test its missile force, as well as build a force capable of intercepting Washington's warships.

Satellite images taken by Planet Labs on January 1 show a clear target in the Taklamakan Desert. According to The War Zone , which first reported the satellite images, the target appears to match the shape, size, and certain details of the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Mô hình siêu tàu sân bay Mỹ xuất hiện ở sa mạc Trung Quốc?- Ảnh 1. — The object is believed to be a replica of the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

Construction of the model began in November 2023, according to The War Zone ’s review of previous satellite imagery. The sketches were released some time before the more detailed design was built.

Planet Labs also photographed other models, one of which is an American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. It was previously just a rough mock-up, but now appears to have undergone structural improvements to fit a destroyer.

The Taklamakan Desert firing range, located in the Ruoqiang region of Xinjiang (northwest China), is believed to be where Beijing is practicing missile strikes. Satellite images have repeatedly captured systems that look like mock-ups of US warships in the area.

China has not commented on the above information.

In the Indo-Pacific region, the US Navy operates aircraft carriers and warships for patrols and regularly conducts military exercises.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, is returning home after its first deployment.

US withdraws aircraft carriers from Mediterranean, sends new message to Houthi

The supercarrier has been under construction for more than a decade and first entered service more than five years ago. Until recently, the ship had been operating in waters near Israel to maintain a US presence amid the Hamas-Israel war that broke out in October 2023.

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