China destroyed the object it constructed months ago which resembled the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) aircraft in a desert area in Xinjiang, news agency Nikkei Asia reported. The report researched pictures clicked by satellites with experts and arrived at the conclusion that the object was used as a prop for missile attack training on hypothetical Japanese targets.
Earlier in May, Nikkei Asia reported that China carried out a drill into the object which resembles Japanese Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) airborne warning and control system (AWACS) plane E-767.
A photo by PlanetLabs released on July 13 shows the object was destroyed. The earlier photos including one from July 2 showed the object intact. The destroyed object was seen along with debris and black burn marks.
Jeffrey Lewis, professor at Middlebury Institute of International Studies, who also specializes in analyzing satellite photos said that it could have been caused due to a ballistic missile test. Tom Shugart, another expert who is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, also said a missile may have been used to destroy the object that mimics the Japanese AWACS plane.
He said if the mock target was constructed with the aim of seeing if a missile warhead can recognize and strike specific high-value aircraft then it is likely that the test was successful.
“The deployment of such a weapon could improve the PLA’s ability to strike key aircraft like the E-767,” Shugart was quoted as saying by Nikkei Asia.
Some experts disagreed. Speaking to the news agency, Kiyofumi Iwata, former chief of staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, said that the structure could have set ablaze.
The aircraft is critical to Japan’s defense and will be essential to the US and its allies if China decides to make a move for Taiwan. AWACS planes, of which Japan has four stationed at the Hamamatsu Air Base, possess a rear-mounted radar to detect distant enemy aircraft and missiles. It also acts as a mobile command post for fighter planes and is key for aerial superiority in times of war.
There are concerns that China used the mock structure for military training as well. There were also some USS warship-like structures in the area in Xinjiang.
(with inputs from Nikkei Asia)
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