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By Micah McCartney
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New satellite imagery shows a 3D replica of a U.S. warship in the desert in northwestern China, in apparent preparation for weapons testing, amid a growing military rivalry with the United States.
The mockup in Xinjiang appears to be that of an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, a mainstay of the U.S. Navy used as escorts for aircraft carriers, air-defense platforms and for long-range strikes, such as in the recent Iran war.
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Destroyer Squadron 15, comprising 10 Arleigh Burke-class ships, is the largest combat group of its kind and stationed in Japan under the command of the U.S. 7th Fleet.
Its units frequently encounter China's naval forces during operations in the Pacific region, and military analysts say the replica, likely to be used for target practice, is another sign that Beijing is taking the possibility of a hot war in the near future seriously, regardless of the present state of political relations with Washington.
Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon and Chinese Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
Destroyers in the Desert
China has built several U.S. vessel mockups in the Taklamakan Desert in recent years at a maritime target range believed to be used for testing anti-ship ballistic missiles, including new hypersonic variants revealed at recent military parades.
Known mockups include at least two other Arleigh Burke-shaped targets and a pair of U.S. aircraft carrier replicas, but all in 2D.
The newest 3D target at the People's Liberation Army missile test site in Ruoqiang was first identified by Taipei-based open-source researcher Joseph Wen using a May 11 satellite photograph captured by Vantor, an American spatial intelligence company that operates a fleet of imaging satellites.
The inner structure of the fake ship was already taking shape in an earlier image taken by Vantor satellites on February 1.
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Wen said the life-size target appeared near a known rail track at the Taklamakan weapons range used to transport mobile targets through the desert. The 23-mile rail system has been seen transporting simulated vessels believed to be carrying equipment that can mimic the electronic signatures of U.S. warships, he said.
The setup may allow the PLA to train in more realistic targeting scenarios to validate the target acquisition to strike the "kill chain" of its radar and weapons systems.
“Regardless of the training aspects of the replica, setting up the stationary target serves as a deterrence signal for the PLA, showing that it is examining how to destroy U.S. surface vessels, as well as vessels derived from the Arleigh Burke class that are operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Navy," Bryce Barros, an associate fellow at the think tank GLOBSEC, told Newsweek.
China’s War Preparations
Among the possible scenarios for a U.S.-China clash is one over the future of Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy Beijing claims as part of Chinese territory and will eventually unify—through force if necessary.
A U.S. defense of Taiwan would require elements of the U.S. Navy to cover vast distances across Pacific waters, and a successful takeover of the island would require Chinese forces to strike approaching combatants—including aircraft carrier groups—at long range.
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Further northeast from the maritime missile range is a terrestrial weapons site where mockups of U.S. aircraft, including F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, have been seen in satellite imagery since at least 2024.
They are not the only known PLA test sites, nor are the Chinese military's targets limited to U.S. military assets.
In October, satellite images showed China had also expanded its replica of Taiwan's Presidential Office and other key administrative buildings in Taipei at the Zhurihe military training base in northern Inner Mongolia.
As far back as 2015, China's state media had broadcast footage from the training complex, which analysts said was intended to strengthen training for a potential "decapitation" strike targeting Taiwan's leadership.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Frances Mao and John Feng.
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