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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Massive Expansion At China's ‘Area 51' |
| 2026-08-29 |
| [TWZ] The buildout of the remote flight-test base has accelerated sharply, and large new hangars suggest a specific type of aircraft may be arriving in the near future. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is rapidly expanding a secretive airbase in the northwest of the country that is loosely akin to America’s top-secret proving ground at Area 51. The facility is used to test experimental platforms and next-generation combat aircraft, sporting one of the longest runways in the world at 16,400 feet. It has transformed from a relatively austere and remote airstrip into an increasingly sprawling People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flight-test center over the past few years, and there is no sign that construction will slow anytime soon. In fact, it’s accelerating, and one of its newest features is of significant interest. Satellite imagery taken by Planet Labs on August 27, 2026, shows the scale and scope of the buildout in high-resolution detail. The installation is located near the infamous Lop Nur Nuclear Test Base in the desolate, arid Xinjiang autonomous region of northwestern China. Lop Nur is the PRC’s primary testing facility for nuclear weapons and where China detonated its first nuclear device, codenamed Project 596, in 1964, becoming the world’s fifth nuclear power. Last year, TWZ spotted both of China’s sixth-generation stealth fighter designs, the J-36 and J-XDS, at the base for the first time − far from the home airfields of their respective manufacturers, Chengdu and Shenyang. Before supporting the development of advanced air combat technologies, the facility was linked to military space development efforts and testing reusable space planes as far back as 2020. At that point, the site was nothing more than a 3.1-mile runway with a small hangar and a few scattered vehicles. Related: Lop Nur: 2026-01-03 China upgrading nuclear warhead production, developing rapid counterstrike system - report Lop Nur: 2023-09-23 Nuclear weapons testing sites in US, China and Russia have all been newly expanded - as expert says it 'hints' the countries could resume detonations Lop Nur: 2008-08-30 Report says China offered widespread help on nukes |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
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| Posted by: Dopey Photch2701 2026-08-29 11:16 |
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| Posted by: Besoeker 2026-08-29 09:18 |
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| Posted by: ed in texas 2026-08-29 09:07 |