China's desert drills: Mock American jets prepare PLA air force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force has set up mock American F-35 and F-22 fighter jets in a fictional enemy base created in the Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang region. These replicas are intended to help the Chinese practice attacks on the aircraft. The fighter jet replicas are clearly visible in satellite images.
Images from Google Earth suggest that more than 20 replicas of American fighter jets have been set up in the Taklamakan Desert. Some of them are partially or destroyed. Clash Report notes on platform X that they serve the People's Liberation Army Air Force for practicing aerial attacks on F-35 and F-22, the best fighter jets in the United States' arsenal.
It's worth recalling that recently, satellite images revealed a mock-up of an American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which China used for training exercises. Mock-ups are not unfamiliar to Americans, either. For example, one can encounter imitations of Chinese J-20 fighter jets in their bases, also used for training purposes. In 2023, Fox News Digital published a piece in which quoted experts claimed that the J-20 contains solutions stolen from the American F-22 Raptor.
Former Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, James Anderson, said that "thanks to the ongoing theft of intellectual property, China today possesses a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet that has closed the technological gap between the two armies, which once seemed impossible. If military technology secrets are not better secured, China could become a serious challenge for the USA."
The Chengdu J-20 is a Chinese plane, described as a fifth-generation air superiority fighter, which, according to Beijing, can challenge American air power. The plane was made with low-visibility technology. Military History service notes that the J-20 is the third operational fifth-generation fighter after the F-22 and F-35. The J-20 is a large aircraft, about 20 metres long and with a wingspan of about 13-14 metres. The estimated maximum weight of this structure is up to 37 metric tonnes, speed – 2,100 km/h, and range is at least 2,700 kilometres. The primary armament of the J-20 is the PL-15 missile, considered a copy of the American AIM-120 AMRAAM with a range of up to 200 kilometres.
The F-22, on the other hand, is an American air superiority fighter, considered the most advanced stealth fighter in the world. They are 19 metres long, 5 metres high, with a wingspan of 14 metres. It is worth mentioning an important feature of the F-22 – supercruise. This is the ability to achieve supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners. It allows for speeds of about 2.25 Ma (2,750 km/h). In the primary armament of the F-22, one can find the M61A2 Vulcan 20 mm cannon in the body, and in the F-35 the GAU-12 cannon. The aircraft can also carry various kinds of weapons, including AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and various types of air-to-ground missiles.
