Civilian
planes landed on Subi and Mischief reefs for the first time on July 12,
giving China three operational runways in the disputed Spratly Islands.
Except for a brief visit by a military transport plane to Fiery Cross
Reef earlier this year, there is no evidence that Beijing has deployed
military aircraft to these outposts. But the rapid construction of
reinforced hangars at all three features indicates that this is likely
to change. Each of the three islets will soon have hangar space for 24
fighter-jets plus 3-4 larger planes.
The
construction on Fiery Cross, Subi, and Mischief reefs follows a
standard blueprint. The smallest and most numerous hangars are being
built with four to six hangars per building. They can easily accommodate
any fighter-jet in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force or Naval
Aviation, including the J-11 and Su-30. The second type of hangar is
large enough for the H-6 bomber and H-6U refueling tanker, Y-8 transport
aircraft, and KJ200 Airborne Warning and Control System plane. The
largest of the hangars can accommodate the largest planes in the Chinese
fleet — the Y-20 and Il-76 transport planes, Il-78 refueling tanker,
and KJ-2000 surveillance aircraft.
Fiery Cross Reef
Construction of fighter-jet hangars appears complete at the southern
end of the runway and is well-advanced along the middle of the airstrip.
At the northern end, construction on a final set of hangars is still in
the early stages. Two medium hangars and one large hangar are being
constructed toward the southern end of the runway.
Subi Reef
Most of the hangars are being constructed at the southern end of the
runway, with a few small hangars at the northern end. All the
fighter-jet hangars appear nearly complete. Two medium hangars and two
large hangars are being built behind those for fighters at the south end
of the airstrip, and will presumably be connected to the runway by an
additional taxiway.
Mischief Reef
Construction of hangars at Mischief Reef is at an earlier stage.
Small hangars are being built along the length of the runway, while
three medium hangars and one large hangar are being constructed along
the apron at its northern end.
Other Developments
In
addition to the rapid construction of hangars and other air support
infrastructure at Fiery Cross, Subi, and Mischief reefs, other
facilities have appeared on the features in recent months. Unidentified
hexagonal structures are quickly being built at four locations on each
islet—always oriented toward the sea. Work on these structures began in
May at Fiery Cross and in July at Subi and Mischief. Each of the
features is also now home to a set of three towers, one of which is
larger than the other two. The towers do not have domes that would
indicate radar or other sensitive arrays, and their location is not
consistent, at least in relation to the runway or other infrastructure,
across the three islets. These structures do not appear at any of
China’s other outposts in the Paracels or Spratlys.
Unknown Hexagonal Structures
Unknown Tower Structures
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