June 28, 2026, 6:03 pm
Fresh satellite imagery has revealed what appears to be a full-scale three-dimensional replica of a U.S. Navy warship at a Chinese military test range in the Xinjiang desert, highlighting Beijing’s continued efforts to refine anti-ship strike capabilities amid intensifying strategic competition with Washington.
The newly identified target closely resembles an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, making it the latest addition to a series of U.S. naval mockups constructed by China at the Taklamakan Desert weapons testing complex.
Over the past several years, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has established multiple representations of U.S. naval vessels at the range, including at least two flat-profile Arleigh Burke destroyer targets and two aircraft carrier mockups. Unlike those earlier installations, however, the latest target features a three-dimensional structure, potentially providing a far more realistic representation for weapons testing and targeting exercises.
The mockup was first identified by Taipei-based open-source intelligence analyst Joseph Wen, who examined satellite imagery captured on May 11 by U.S. spatial intelligence firm Vantor. The structure is located near an established rail network within the Ruoqiang missile test facility, a site previously associated with mobile maritime targets.
According to Wen, the approximately 23-mile (37 km) rail system enables simulated ships to be repositioned across the desert and may also support targets equipped with systems capable of reproducing the electronic signatures of actual U.S. warships.
Such capabilities would allow the PLA to create increasingly realistic engagement scenarios—thereby strengthening the effectiveness of its anti-ship missile "kill chain," including systems designed to counter high-value U.S. naval assets.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why is China so obsessed with Arleigh Burke destroyers?
#defenseupdates #arleighburke #usvschina
Chapters:
0:00 TITLE
00:11 INTRODUCTION
02:13 SPONSORSHIP – NordVPN
02:47 ARLEIGH BURKE-CLASS GUIDED-MISSILE DESTROYER
04.:19 HAS BEEN A THORN , EVEN DURING PEACETIME
06:01 WIL PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN CASE OF TAIWAN INVASION ATTEMPT
09:07 DERIVATIVES ARE DEPLOYED BY CHINA’s REGIONAL RIVALS
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