Chinese secrets: secret boathouse and military airship construction
The initial stage of construction of the future boathouse, September 27, 2013. Photo by Maxar / Google Maps
The People's Liberation Army of China is actively engaged in military construction and creating interesting objects. For example, in the mid-1990s, a boathouse of record size was built at a training ground deep in the territory of the People's Republic of China. Its exact purpose is unknown, but there are different assumptions. Now this facility has been enlarged, and it has again attracted the attention of foreign intelligence services.
Secret construction
Large-scale construction for unknown purposes was carried out at the PLA training ground in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The facility was located 210 km south of Urumqi, near the southeastern shore of Lake Bagrashkol. Construction coordinates: 41°47'24,2"N, 87°24'01,6"E.
Construction began no later than mid-2013. This is evidenced by satellite images of the area taken by Maxar and available through Google services. Thus, in the photograph dated September 27, 2013, a flat rectangular area with construction equipment is visible, along the perimeter of which the first structures have already been erected.
To the west of the construction site there was another flat area with a certain tower and characteristic markings. The two sites were connected by a wide dirt road.
For several years, foreign satellite operators monitored the construction and published new images. In 2015–2016 new photos helped clarify the situation.
It turned out that Chinese builders were building a large boathouse of unknown purpose. This structure has a rectangular plan and a cross-section in the shape of an inverted letter U. It was probably built on a frame made of metal trusses and covered with sheet metal. There is a gate on the western side of the boathouse, and a solid wall on the eastern side.
Completed boathouse and lattice structure of unknown purpose, November 25, 2020. Photo by Planet Labs
The boathouse is of impressive size. According to estimates by foreign experts, its length reaches 350 m and its width exceeds 135 m. The height of the structure cannot be determined from the photo, but it can be estimated at at least tens of meters.
There is an asphalt area in front of the open end of the boathouse. From it to the west stretches a runway more than 1,1 km long and approx. wide. 70 m. The strip partially blocked the road previously laid to the site with the tower. At the same time, new dirt roads were built to allow travel between these sites.
The remote location of the construction site indicated the secret nature of the project. In addition, at the site one could see automobile equipment in a characteristic protective paint. All this indicated that the construction had a military purpose. Indirect confirmation of this version is the lack of official information about the object.
Additional volumes
In November 2020, a Planet Labs satellite detected new activity near the boathouse. A large lattice structure was seen on the runway in front of its gate. Subsequently, this object did not appear in new photographs. Presumably, the grate was intended to be installed inside the boathouse.
In August 2022, Planet Labs again recorded construction work near the Chinese boathouse. The camera captured two new construction sites and equipment. However, the purpose of these works, as before, remained unknown.
Ready base and airship (marked in red). You can also see the pit at the eastern end of the boathouse and the construction site to the south. November 4, 2022 Photo by BlackSky
By the time of filming, a flat area with a U-shaped pit had appeared at the solid eastern end of the boathouse. To the south of the structure, some construction was also observed on a cleared rectangular area. Due to the low quality of the images, it was possible to see only the general features of the construction, but not its details.
At the beginning of June 2024, Planet Labs again showed a Chinese construction site. By this time, a new extension had appeared at the eastern part of the boathouse.
The additional section is approx. 90 m, but smaller than the main structure in height and width. Due to the extension, the total area and volume of the boathouse increased by about a quarter.
In addition, a new building with fencing appeared on the site south of the boathouse. Its purpose is unclear, and the quality of the images makes it difficult to understand how it is used.
Lighter than air devices
China usually does not disclose all the details of its military construction, so official information about the new structure in the XUAR has not yet been published. However, speculation about its purpose appeared immediately after the first pictures were shown abroad.
Such permanent shelters were and are used only in aeronautics: for storing and servicing large airships and balloons. The appearance of a large boathouse at the test site indicated that new large lighter-than-air aircraft were being developed in China.
Boathouse with an additional section, June 7, 2024. Photo by Planet Labs
This version was confirmed only in November 2022, when satellite operator BlackSky took photographs of the boathouse during construction. On the runway in front of the structure, an object of a characteristic shape was visible, which could easily be recognized as a medium-sized airship.
Until 2013, it was known that a limited-scale airship-building industry existed and operated in China. There were also rumors about the development of military airships, but they did not receive adequate confirmation.
Satellite images of the construction of a boathouse at a training ground in XUAR and an airship on the runway finally confirmed previously existing assumptions. It has become clear that the PLA is indeed developing controlled lighter-than-air aircraft and is making significant efforts to develop this area.
However, the goals and objectives of military airship construction, as well as its developments and successes remain unknown. Chinese enterprises are believed to be building several types of aerial platforms that could be used for military purposes. These are aircraft of a semi-rigid or rigid structure, capable of carrying various loads and staying in the air for a long time.
The photograph from 2022 shows an airship about 35 m long. In the catalogs of Chinese enterprises you can also find larger aircraft, up to 100 m in length. However, they are all several times smaller than the secret boathouse. The Chinese army probably has large-sized airships that require a spacious shelter tens of meters high and hundreds of meters long.
The structure in its current state, July 28, 2024. Photo by Planet Labs
According to different versions, the PLA can use airships as carriers of various equipment. They can be equipped with radar stations and electronic/radio reconnaissance equipment. They can also participate in providing communications over long distances.
Foreign experts draw attention to the location of the airship base. It is located in a hard-to-reach area of China, where the positional areas are also located missile strategic forces, space infrastructure facilities, etc. It is possible that the airship unit is operating in the interests of the Strategic Missile Forces or the space industry.
Secret projects
Thus, we can now say with confidence that the PLA has been actively developing and creating military airships in recent years or even decades. However, at the moment there is no information about specific models of equipment of this class and plans for its use.
However, the construction of a large facility in a remote area indicates serious plans. It appears that the PLA intends to use its airships to perform particularly complex and important missions. And the results of such operation must justify all the costs of developing new projects and constructing a complex facility.
Perhaps in the future China will disclose information about current work in the field of military airship construction. Official data will significantly complement the existing picture, so far compiled from fragmentary information. In addition, it may turn out that the real project is much bolder and more interesting than all foreign assumptions.
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