New satellite images have revealed mock-ups of U.S. naval vessels in a desert in western China. The structures, designed to look like a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyers, are likely intended to be used as targets in military training. The images were captured by Maxar Technologies, a Colorado-based imaging company. They were taken via satellite over the Ruoqiang area of the Taklamakan Desert, an obscure region in China’s Xinjiang Province. A statement by the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) said the location at which the targets were photographed was previously used for missile testing, including tests of China’s so-called carrier-killer missile, the DF-21D, in 2013. “This new range shows that China continues to focus on anti-carrier capabilities, with an emphasis on U.S. Navy warships,” USNI stated. Iran has also used mock U.S. vessels in the past, including an incident in which it exploded a mock U.S. aircraft carrier during military drills in the Strait …
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