Saturday, October 16, 2021

China Bolsters Three Air Bases Near Taiwan - Preparing For War?

BATTLE STATIONS China on war footing as it beefs up three air bases near Taiwan amid WW3 fears, satellite images suggest


CHINA appears to be beefing up three air bases near Taiwan amid fears Beijing is preparing for World War Three. 

New satellite images have revealed China is upgrading its military bases along its southeastern coast, nearest to Taiwan, suggesting Beijing might be stepping up its plans to invade the island.

Satellite images show building work taking place at three air bases in Fujian province

The building work at the three airbases in Fujian province will give long-term logistical air combat support to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, which has repeatedly invaded Taiwan airspace in the last month.

The work is taking place at the Chinese air force's bases at Longtian, Huian, and Zhangzhou - all of which lie between 100 and 200 miles from Taiwan.

The upgrading appears to fall in line with Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance towards the island nation.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has long threatened to use force to bring it under its control, with regular invasion drills carried out by its military.

The images, captured by Planet Labs and published by military site The Drive, showed work on aircraft shelters and reinforced munitions storage started early last year and continued during the Covid pandemic.

Four aircraft structures are seen being built at one end of Longtian Airbase in the pictures, which would be the only protective aviation infrastructure on site.

With advances in satellite imagery, the shelters would also help keep China's aircraft and their general readiness away from prying eyes. 

And the construction of administrative buildings and possible barracks points to a rise in military personnel at the base. 


At Huian Airbase, the images reveal the construction of three storage bunkers - likely for munitions and minor runway extensions.

Meanwhile, at Zhangzhou airbase, there is visible construction of a new surface-to-air missile defense site - the third one at the same location. 

The dedicated surface-to-air missile defense sites at the three airbases have also been actively rotating equipment and training, The Drive reports.

China's upgrades to its air bases suggests steps are being taken to boost the military's capacity for operations, and improve the concealment of its assets and operations.






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