China Builds New US Warship Replica for Missile Tests, Satellite Images Show

China has built a new replica of a US destroyer at a remote missile-testing site in its northwestern desert, according to satellite imagery.

Satellite images from 2021 showed targets shaped like an aircraft carrier and two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers at a testing range in the Ruoqiang area of the Taklamakan Desert, according to the US Naval Institute. (Photo:: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky, U.S. Navy)

Analysts say the target could be used to test anti-ship weapons, Bloomberg News reported.

Satellite images show a structure resembling a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in the Taklamakan Desert in far-western Xinjiang since at least June. The feature was first identified by Joseph Wu, co-founder of the Taiwan Defense Studies Initiative (TDSI).

The replica appears to be the latest in a series of mock US Navy warships that China has built in the desert over the past five years.

Satellite images from 2021 showed targets shaped like an aircraft carrier and two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers at a testing range in the Ruoqiang area of the Taklamakan Desert, according to the US Naval Institute.

The US Seventh Fleet, which patrols the Western Pacific and waters around Taiwan, operates both types of vessels.

Other satellite imagery has shown debris from missile strikes around the mock-up. Analysts have identified the site in Ruoqiang County as a location for anti-ship ballistic missile testing.

Militaries around the world build replicas of potential targets for weapons testing. The United States, for example, has constructed replicas of Chinese air defense systems for testing purposes, The Defense Post reported last year.

China has also built replicas of parts of central Taipei at two military bases. Beijing has vowed to bring the self-governed island of Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary.