Secret object: China is modernizing the airfield at the Lop Nor

Lop Nor airfield in the recent past. Google Maps snapshot

In order to implement various projects of a military and scientific nature, China is building a variety of new facilities. So, a few years ago, a new airfield appeared at the Lop Nor training ground. Construction work on this site continues to this day, and in the near future, their result may be the emergence of a full-fledged air base with all the necessary facilities. At the same time, the airfield is not mentioned in any way in official messages from the state structures of the PRC, and its tasks are not reported.

At the old training ground

In 1964, China conducted its first nuclear tests. The landfill for them was the bottom of the dried-up Lake Lob Nor in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and this site has been actively used for three decades. Until 1996, inclusive, the PLA carried out about 45 atmospheric, ground and underground detonations. After the termination of nuclear tests, the Lop Nor test site did not stand idle and was used in events of a different kind.

In 2016, foreign media reported on new construction at a former nuclear test site. Fresh satellite images of the terrain showed that a hundred kilometers northwest of the dried-up lake, a new airfield had appeared with three runways, dirt and concrete. Also, a limited number of various buildings of unknown purpose were erected on it. When and why this airfield was built is unknown, although various assumptions have been expressed.

The possible purpose of the airfield became known last year. In September 2020, China launched its first reusable spacecraft. The flight lasted only a couple of days, after which the ship returned to the ground and landed at the Lop Nor airfield. Soon after landing, he was photographed by one of the foreign satellites. These images attracted a lot of attention from specialists and the public.

A few days ago, on July 1, the American news agency NPR published new images of the Lop Nor landfill provided by Maxar. The photographs, dated June 28, show that construction at the airfield is ongoing. Several new roads and sites have been added alongside the main runway, where various buildings are being constructed or under construction.

Runway, taxiway and parking area, 6 September 2020 It was reported that the points on the runway are various equipment, incl. reusable spaceship. Photo Thedrive.com

It is curious that the official Beijing does not comment on news recent years. In light of the Chinese approach to news reporting, this is not surprising. At the same time, the lack of official information provokes the emergence of various versions - and some of them may be plausible.

New airfield

The airfield of the Lopnor test site is located northwest of the lake of the same name and north of the Tamir Plain. It can be found at coordinates 40 ° 46'48.0 "N 89 ° 16'12.0" E. Three runways in the form of an equilateral triangle are located over a large area. Two of them, western and northern, are made of unpaved ones. The southern one has a concrete surface and is probably the main one.

The concrete runway is about 5 km long. Its ends are marked "05" (western) and "23" (eastern). To the north-east of the main strip, there is a soil more than 2,6 km long. From the center of the concrete strip, to the southeast, there is a taxiway leading to the only parking lot with a hangar. Numerous unpaved transport roads have been laid near the runway.

Satellite images, now available on Google Maps, show the state of the airfield infrastructure in the recent past. So, at a short distance from the western end of the concrete runway, there are two fenced areas with several buildings. Judging by the size and layout, these are residential buildings and other objects for the garrison. Two groups of small structures, incl. camouflaged ones are available near both ends of the runway.

Several buildings were located near the side taxiway. On the site to which it leads, the only hangar at the airbase is located. Another cluster of buildings can be observed further away from the walkway. Another road departs from the unpaved extension of the main lane, along which you can get to a stationary radar station with a characteristic spherical casing on the roof.

The airfield at the end of June. Photo by NPR / Maxar

Various caponiers, prepared positions for defense, etc. are scattered practically throughout the airfield. It is especially worth noting several areas of a characteristic type - there are tanks or some kind of equipment under camouflage nets.

In the process of development

In fresh photos from Maxar, all the listed objects remain in their places, the configuration of the runways does not change. At the same time, new ones appear next to the old structures. So, to the south of the parking lot with a hangar, you can see several new buildings, a number of projects under construction and numerous equipment. It seems that some of the new buildings will be located in fenced areas.

It is still impossible to determine the purpose of the new buildings. Judging by the size and location, these can be administrative or other buildings. One of the structures can become the basis for another radar station for one purpose or another. It should also be noted that the new construction sites and the runway parking are not connected by paved roads - perhaps only for the time being.

Based on the results of current work, the airfield of the Lop Nor test site may receive a number of new opportunities for receiving, maintaining and operating aircraft of different classes. All this indicates that the airfield is planned to be used in some projects, possibly of high importance. However, one should not hope that official structures will soon disclose information of this kind - if they ever disclose it at all.

Possible tasks

Lake Lop Nor and the polygon of the same name are located in a remote and deserted area, which makes them an ideal place for various secret events. It is possible to monitor activity in this area only with the use of satellite reconnaissance equipment, which has objective limitations and does not always allow collecting all the desired information.

The reasons for the appearance of a new airfield at Lobnor are obvious. China is going to carry out some work and activities on it, and the infrastructure development observed now is aimed at obtaining new opportunities. At the same time, the goals and objectives of such construction remain unknown - but various assumptions are already being expressed.

Objects near the parking lot - rotated 90 °. Photo by NPR / Maxar

First of all, in the context of the airfield, last year's news about the first Chinese reusable spacecraft should be remembered. The launch of this product took place at the Jiuquan cosmodrome, and the landing site was not officially announced. At the same time, foreign satellites noticed the ship on the day of landing at the Lop Nor airfield. At that time, it had limited infrastructure, the current construction had not yet begun. However, the base could already receive aerospace equipment.

Thus, construction at the test site should be linked with the Chinese rocket and space program, or rather, with the promising direction of reusable orbital aircraft. Such a technique needs not only a cosmodrome, but also a runway, and the Lop Nor test site gives it a similar object. It is to be expected that there will be new reports of launches and landings of reusable ships in the future. Most likely, they will land again at the former nuclear test site.

The dimensions of the existing strips, concrete and unpaved, make it possible to receive aircraft with low landing characteristics, characterized by high mileage. Thanks to this, China will be able to land on Lopnor not only an experienced spaceplane of the first model, but also larger ships that can be expected in the future.

The specialized foreign press proposes not to be limited only to the rocket and space application of the new airfield. It is assumed that it can become a full-fledged air base for testing all new technologies and projects - like the notorious "Area 51" in the United States. The geographic features of the test site will preserve the secrecy of the projects, and the infrastructure facilities under construction will provide full testing of products of different classes.

If the airfield is being modernized not only in the interests of the space program, the most interesting news can be expected in the future. Foreign satellites will continue to monitor the test site and sooner or later they will photograph unknown samples aviation or any other technique that demonstrates the latest achievements of Chinese science.

Objective and Presumptive

At the moment, it is reliably known about the existence of the airfield, about its gradual modernization, as well as about its use within the framework of the space program. All other information is indicative and may not correspond to reality. This state of affairs is not surprising - China never discloses the progress of work on secret projects and only talks about finished developments, and not always and not all.

However, in this case, too, it is clear that the Chinese industry continues to work on promising projects and is preparing objects for testing or full-scale use of new samples. And in the foreseeable future, there will be new reports of foreign media on similar topics, which will tell you what kind the airfield has acquired and what it is used for.

Comments

[knn54]

Rich deposits of potassium salt were found under the bottom of the Chinese "brother" of the Aral Sea.
Since 2000, the company "Potassium Salt" began to develop these deposits and in 20 years has become the largest base for the production of potassium sulfate in the world, solving the problem of shortage of potash fertilizers in China.

[Lannan Shi]

Quote: knn54

solving the problem of shortage of potash fertilizers in China.

Considering that 3.5 million hectares of land in China has been withdrawn from circulation, due to the complete killing of fertilizers, and of the remaining 20% ​​are on the verge of withdrawal, and another 20 are simply "very heavily contaminated" .... Well, with that, that with 9% of arable land (of the global total), China consumes a third of the world's fertilizers ... Talking about the lack of fertilizers in China is a subtle mockery. Yeah. 40 kilos, for every Chinese per year. 110 grams per day. And the truth is, as it is not enough.

[Vol4ara]

Quote: Lannan Shi

Quote: knn54

solving the problem of shortage of potash fertilizers in China.

Considering that 3.5 million hectares of land in China has been withdrawn from circulation, due to the complete killing of fertilizers, and of the remaining 20% ​​are on the verge of withdrawal, and another 20 are simply "very heavily contaminated" .... Well, with that, that with 9% of arable land (of the global total), China consumes a third of the world's fertilizers ... Talking about the lack of fertilizers in China is a subtle mockery. Yeah. 40 kilos, for every Chinese per year. 110 grams per day. And the truth is, as it is not enough.

By murder? Can you explain?

[Lannan Shi]

Quote: Vol4ara

By murder? Can you explain?

Have you ever seen that it beats, if fertilizers are dumped on the ground, like a mountain. And leave it alone for a couple of years so that the earth is saturated properly? Receive a piece of dead land. On which nothing grows. And only a dozen years later, the first weeds will begin to break through. When the excess filth is washed away by rains and other precipitation. But this is if the piece is small. How much a field of one hundred / hundreds of hectares will be cleared, I don’t even presume. This is approximately how the Chinese bring their land to this state. Slowly but methodically. So ... When buying something from Chinese products, do not forget that there is no more chemistry than organic matter. And the only reasonable use of this "food" is the use of fertilizers. The main thing is with the dosage and overdo it, otherwise you will poison your beds with Chinese apples and cucumbers.

[Vol4ara]

Quote: Lannan Shi

Quote: Vol4ara

By murder? Can you explain?

Have you ever seen that it beats, if fertilizers are dumped on the ground, like a mountain. And leave it alone for a couple of years so that the earth is saturated properly? Receive a piece of dead land. On which nothing grows. And only a dozen years later, the first weeds will begin to break through. When the excess filth is washed away by rains and other precipitation. But this is if the piece is small. How much a field of one hundred / hundreds of hectares will be cleared, I don’t even presume. This is approximately how the Chinese bring their land to this state. Slowly but methodically. So ... When buying something from Chinese products, do not forget that there is no more chemistry than organic matter. And the only reasonable use of this "food" is the use of fertilizers. The main thing is with the dosage and overdo it, otherwise you will poison your beds with Chinese apples and cucumbers.

But they don't heap fertilizer and fertilizer costs very good money. And they are washed out by rains very quickly, so they need to be brought in constantly, otherwise the soil will just go out of circulation

[Lannan Shi]

Quote: Vol4ara

therefore, they need to be applied constantly, otherwise the soil will just come out of circulation

China's arable land area is 100 million hectares. Almost 60 million tons of fertilizers are applied. Or 60 grams per square meter on average. even on average, this is a frank overkill. And if you remember that there is not only the middle, but also 1 poles. From environmentally friendly farms for different Jiping and Ma gentlemen, to outright garbage dumps ...
Well, plus irrigation. It seems to be a useful thing. But not in China. In which, even from underground sources, half is polluted, and not suitable for use, let alone from open ...
So it turns out at the exit of activity, especially "advanced" agricultural producers in China, a poisoned desert.

[tralflot1832]

A couple of days ago there was a noise that the Chinese are building 119 mines for ICBMs near Mongolia. The answer from the Chinese, I just killed them. The USA confused the mines with the foundations of wind turbines. We readily "believe". But what an answer, in the style of Psaki !!! the same opera, at the Lop Nor airbase, is going to the "Death Star" for the USA. But not if not for Russia, although it is closer to Russia from Lop Nor.

[tihonmarine]

It is curious that the official Beijing does not comment on the news of recent years in any way. In light of the Chinese approach to news reporting, this is not surprising.

Well done Chinese, they silently do, they know how to keep secrets, and it is not a fact that they will ever tell what they are experiencing there. But clearly not a fighter of a new modification, and certainly not agricultural equipment.

[Ross xnumx]

At the moment, it is reliably known about the existence of the airfield, about its gradual modernization, as well as about its use within the framework of the space program. All other information is indicative and may not correspond to reality. This state of affairs is not surprising - China never reveals progress on secret projects и talks only about finished developments, and not always and not all.

For example, I am interested in how our "sworn friend" and "bosom partner" intends to use RSD, which do not reach the continental US territory a priori:

The range of the DF-26 solid-propellant ballistic missile is estimated at 3000-5500 kilometers.

... the DF-100 strategic cruise missile (also called the CJ-100) is designed to destroy heavily fortified structures, in particular underground bunkers, or, according to other sources, large sea targets. The range of the weapon is estimated at 2-000 kilometers.

Here's a comment:

China has over two thousand deployed intermediate and shorter-range ballistic missiles, as well as ground-based medium-range cruise missiles with a range of up to four thousand kilometers.
These data on two thousand missiles in the arsenal are most likely underestimated, said Oleg Ponomarenko, a military expert at the Center for Strategic Conjuncture. “The scale of military construction in China is quite large. This is due to the fact that Chinese developments, created samples do not become known at the moment when they are at the development stages, we will learn about them after the fact. Accordingly, the scale of the military economy, the pace of military development have only nominal estimates, the expert explained. - So I repeat once again that the estimate of two thousand units is rather arbitrary, and we do not know the real amount».

Isn't it too much against American Guam and island Japan? Maybe other intentions are swarming in the head of one sitting on the bank of the river and waiting for the corpse of his enemy? Perhaps the transfer of square kilometers of Russian territory evokes some grandiose plans for the development of unpopulated space?

[English tarantas]

Turn on the head. We take all NATO fleets, Australia / New Zealand, military facilities in the Philippines, Indonesia, Alaska. We also look at where the Chinese have missiles, obviously not on the coast, everything is in the depths. And we also remember that the command of the Japanese, Koreans and Americans is sitting in the center of the Pacific, in Pearl Harbor. So we consider what is the range and how many targets.
You just need to understand that the Chinese are counting on fighting in one person, they are afraid to rely on ours.

[Stepan S]

You just need to understand that the Chinese are counting on fighting in one person, they are afraid to rely on ours.

We must think that we can count on the Chinese if something happens. Until recently, they did not always express their concerns in our support.

[English tarantas]

Because China, the world economic power, which is barely balancing between the party and the cap world, as if standing like an acrobat on a long stick in 91, has no serious business for the fact that our bourgeois again did not share it. For the CPC, all the grapes of our capitalists are like a fight in a sandbox, they have neither the strength, nor time, nor stupidity to meddle in this pool, but they are watching carefully, the Chinese know that Russia is the first big country in which there will be a revolution when communism returns to China and is the only one a country that can be guaranteed to be dragged into a confrontation with the United States and into an alliance with China.
It's like a girl not heavily burdened with moral principles. In their youth, almost everyone had such a friend, when they wanted to spend time together, but not stand up for her when another guy offended her, they had enough intelligence and prudence, although you can strain and re-educate.

[AC130 Gunship]

The article could be squeezed into 2-3 sentences: 1. China modernized the runway at this airbase. 2. It is well suited for testing new and secret designs. 3. China does not tell anyone what is happening there and you can play around and guess at all the ranks

[businessv]

Quote: ROSS 42

Perhaps the transfer of square kilometers of Russian territory brings up some grandiose plans for the development of unpopulated space?

These plans, in my opinion, can easily dispel ours, upon signing a new INF Treaty. But such a number of them in the PRC somehow does not inspire. It is consoling that we have not yet destroyed full-fledged nuclear deterrent missiles, abbreviated as YARS, this will slightly cool those who want to chop off part of our land.

[bar]

The reasons for the appearance of a new airfield at Lobnor are obvious. China is going to carry out some work and events on it.

Very subtly noticed

[Gunther]

It was reported that the points on the runway are various equipment, incl. reusable spaceship. Photo Thedrive.com

some small spaceplane, in the form of a point, just right for pumponauts.

... in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and this site has been actively used for three decades. Until 1996, inclusive, the PLA carried out about 45 atmospheric, ground and underground detonations.

genocide, skillfully, Uighurs.

[voyaka uh]

The spaceplane was already launched into space last September.
And he returned on his own.

[Gunther]

the basis for confidence - a Chinese cartoon about the "returned spaceplane"?
))))