Satellite imagery has identified full-scale mock-ups of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in China’s Taklamakan Desert, specifically in the Ruoqiang region of the Xinjiang province. These structures, which include detailed replicas of flight decks and superstructures, are used as targets for practicing ballistic missile strikes.
USNI News +3- Location: The targets are located in the Taklamakan Desert, often referred to as the “go in and you won’t come out” desert.
- Purpose: These mock-ups act as range targets for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to refine anti-ship missile capabilities, particularly for the DF-21D or DF-26 “carrier killer” missiles.
- Detailed Construction: Satellite imagery shows not just silhouettes, but detailed, full-scale replicas of the USS Gerald R. Ford and other vessels. Some models included radar reflectors and, in some cases, were mounted on a 6m-wide, 6km-long rail system to simulate a moving vessel.
- Timeline: While the first mock-up was spotted around 2019, new, more precise targets representing the newest U.S. aircraft carriers have continued to be built.
- Context: The site, located near previous missile test ranges, allows for secure testing of, and training with, anti-ship ballistic missiles without risking accidents at sea or revealing too much to foreign intelligence, according to experts.
China’s Mock-U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers in the Taklamakan Desert: Targets for “Carrier Killer” Missile Tests
Yes, satellite imagery and multiple credible reports confirm that China has constructed full-scale mock-ups resembling U.S. Navy aircraft carriers—and accompanying warships—in the remote Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang province, northwestern China. These are not actual ships built for sailing but purpose-built target replicas used by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for missile testing, training, and war games simulation. The structures serve as practice targets to refine China’s anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), often dubbed “carrier killers,” designed to counter U.S. carrier strike groups in potential conflicts, particularly over Taiwan or the South China Sea.
This development has been publicly documented since at least 2021, with ongoing updates through 2024–2025 showing refinements and new replicas. It’s part of China’s broader military modernization to challenge U.S. naval dominance in the Western Pacific.
Historical Context and Discovery
The Taklamakan Desert site, near Ruoqiang (in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), has long served as a missile testing range. It previously hosted tests for early versions of the DF-21D ASBM, revealed in reports around 2013.
The key revelations came in late 2021:
- Satellite images from Maxar Technologies (October 2021) showed a full-scale outline of a U.S. aircraft carrier (resembling a Ford-class or Nimitz-class) and at least two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
- The carrier mock-up, roughly 1,000+ feet long to match real U.S. supercarriers, was built between March–April 2019, partially dismantled in late 2019, and rebuilt by October 2021.
- A unique feature: A rail system allows a mobile target (about 75–77 meters long, sometimes scaled) to move, simulating a ship underway for more realistic testing of guidance systems.
Analysts from the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI News), Reuters, BBC, CNN, and others reviewed the imagery and concluded these are precision targets for ballistic missile strikes, cruise missiles, and possibly hypersonic weapons.
Updates and Evolutions (2023–2025)
- By January 2024, new Planet Labs satellite photos captured a more detailed mock-up specifically mimicking the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), America’s newest supercarrier class, with accurate features like the island superstructure placement, catapult tracks, and squared-off stern.
- Additional 2024 images (e.g., April–May) showed mock-ups of U.S. fifth-generation fighters (F-22/F-35-like) near runways with blast marks and craters, suggesting combined air and naval target practice.
- As of 2025 reports, the range includes multiple carrier silhouettes (some Nimitz-class older ones, newer Ford-class), destroyers, and mobile rail targets—some showing damage from repeated strikes, then rebuilt.
- Google Earth coordinates like 38°38’10″N 87°43’40″E have been shared by observers pinpointing visible outlines.
These mock-ups are often two-dimensional (flat silhouettes on the ground, sometimes with radar-reflective poles) or low-profile structures, not three-dimensional ships. They get rebuilt after tests, with sand coverage sometimes used for concealment or post-storm cleanup.
Strategic Purpose: Preparing for Anti-Carrier Warfare
China’s PLA Rocket Force and Navy focus heavily on “anti-access/area denial” (A2/AD) strategies to keep U.S. carriers beyond effective strike range (typically 1,000+ km from Chinese shores).
- Weapons Tested: Primarily DF-21D (“carrier killer,” range ~1,500 km) and DF-26 (longer-range, dual land/sea capability). These hypersonic-capable ballistic missiles use satellite guidance, terminal radar/infrared seekers, and maneuverable reentry vehicles to hit moving ships.
- Why the Desert? Vast, isolated space allows safe live-fire testing without ocean risks. Rail mobility simulates carrier movement (real carriers move at 30+ knots). Impact data refines accuracy, warhead penetration, and electronic warfare countermeasures.
- Broader Implications: This signals China’s intent to neutralize U.S. carrier advantages in a Taiwan scenario. Combined with island fortification in the South China Sea, hypersonic developments, and carrier fleet expansion (now 3 operational, more building), it escalates the naval arms race.
Philosophically, it reflects Sun Tzu’s “know your enemy”—China studies U.S. Navy signatures meticulously to exploit vulnerabilities. Yet it also highlights mutual deterrence: The U.S. maintains carrier superiority and counters with long-range strikes, hypersonics, and alliances.
Visual Evidence from Satellite Imagery
To illustrate these mock-ups:
(These show satellite views of the carrier-shaped targets, mobile rail systems, and surrounding desert range from reports like USNI and Planet Labs.)
In summary, China hasn’t “built U.S. Navy aircraft carriers” in the literal sense—no functional ships sail the desert sands. Instead, these are sophisticated, repeatedly tested targets signaling serious preparation for potential naval conflict. The PLA’s focus remains defensive in rhetoric but increasingly capable offensively in capability. As tensions persist over Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, such visible preparations underscore the high-stakes rivalry between the world’s two largest militaries.