China sets up mock American jets for desert training exercises
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 mock-ups are intended to help the Chinese practice attacks on the aircraft. The fighter jet replicas are 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 practising 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 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 at the time 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 insurmountable. If military technology secrets are not better secured, China could become a serious challenge for the USA."
The Chengdu J-20 is a Chinese aircraft, described as a 5th generation air superiority fighter, which, according to Beijing, can challenge American air power. The aircraft was made with low-visibility technology. Military History Service notes that the J-20 is the third operational 5th 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 37,000 kilograms, its speed – is 2,092 kilometres per hour, and the 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. It is 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 (2,756 kilometres per hour). 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 weapons, including AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and various types of air-to-ground missiles.
