Satellite Photo of Training Base Captures China's Aircraft Carrier Mock-up

New satellite imagery has brought attention to China's mock-up aircraft carrier, which was pitched in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

In the latest image shared with Newsweek by SkyFi, a satellite imagery and analytics company, four mock-ups of fighter jets on top of the artificial aircraft carrier can also be seen.

Located at the China Ship Design and Research Center, also known as 701st Research Institute, in Wuhan, the mock-up has previously sparked the interest of defense enthusiasts as the attention on Beijing's naval capability grows. These advancements reflect China's strategic focus on enhancing its maritime prowess, a key element in the nation's expanding military footprint.

The People's Liberation Army Navy is now the largest in the world if calculated by hull count, launching 30 ships just last year. According to the Pentagon, the PLA Navy currently has 370 ships, compared to the U.S. fleet size of 291 combined, including all types of vessels.

The same structure at the China Ship Design and Research Center in Wuhan, which mirrored the Type-55 guided missile destroyer, came to public attention in 2015. Defense experts believe the site was a test bed for new radar systems, according to USNI News.

This site, affiliated with the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, is speculated to be pivotal for testing new Chinese radar capabilities, drawing comparisons to the U.S. "cruiser in the cornfield"—a radar facility located in New Jersey.

USNI News reported in 2015 that the mock-ups, which also include aircraft, are likely indicators of the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) future air wing composition. Notably, the imagery in the past has captured a flying-wing UAV, which could be a variant of the GJ-11 reconnaissance and strike drone.

According to Thomas Shugart, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, China's integration of a long-range strike UAV would represent a significant leap over the U.S. Navy, which currently uses its MQ-25 UAV primarily as a refueling asset.

Shugart weighed in on the implications of this development for the PLAN's carrier air wing.

"What it does perhaps lend credence to are previous reports of a possible PLA Navy carrier air wing composition that includes the mock-up aircraft seen in the images, in particular the flying wing UAV—possibly a version of the GJ-11 reconnaissance and strike drone. If China does successfully integrate a long-range strike UAV into its carrier air wing, it will jump past the U.S. Navy in that regard, as our Navy thus far seems only interested in using its MQ-25 UAV as a tanker for reasons unclear to me," he told Newsweek.

In July 2021, aviation journalist Andreas Rupprecht reported on the complete setup of the carrier mock-up in Wuhan, featuring the J-35 alongside other replicas. These models are believed to be instrumental for testing communication systems and for military training exercises, though they are not structurally designed to handle actual aircraft landings.

The attention to detail in the mock-up extends to the carrier's air wing, showcasing what China views as its foresight in naval aviation. Despite these developments, the models' primary use remains within the realm of testing and training, as indicated by Business Insider in 2015.

China's rapid development in naval engineering was highlighted by the second flat-top warship, which gained significant traction on Chinese social media and was featured on the state broadcaster CCTV's prime-time news bulletin. The ship, classified as the Fujian or Type 003, shares similarities in size with the U.S. Navy's most advanced supercarriers. However, it lacks certain matured capabilities, such as nuclear propulsion.