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https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/01/politics/chinese-military-blimp-satellite-secret-desert-base/index.html

Exclusive: Never-before-seen Chinese military blimp caught on satellite
images of remote desert base
Paul P. Murphy Alex Marquardt
By Paul P. Murphy and Alex Marquardt, CNN
Updated 9:46 AM EDT, Mon May 1, 2023

Two blimps on the runway on November 4 and 6, 2022. The modern Chinese
military blimp, seen for the first time at a remote desert military base
outside of Korla, China, is around 100 feet, or 31 meters, long.
Courtesy BlackSky
CNN
—
A large blimp developed by the Chinese military has been spotted for the
first time at a remote base in the desert of northwestern China,
exclusive new satellite imagery obtained by CNN shows.

Aerospace experts say the images, taken three months before a Chinese
spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, could signal
a notable advancement in China’s airship program, demonstrating a more
versatile and maneuverable craft than previously seen or known.

A suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts above the Atlantic Ocean off the
coast of the Carolinas before being shot down on February 4, 2023.
China's balloons are part of a strategy to beat the US on a new
battlefield: 'near space'
The images, taken in November 2022 by US satellite imaging company
BlackSky, show a roughly 100-foot long blimp in the middle of a nearly
kilometer-long runway at a desert military complex in northwestern
China. CNN presented the imagery to a number of aerospace experts, who
confirmed they show a blimp and runway, bookended by a pivot point used
to launch airships, as well as a massive, nearly 900-foot airship hangar.

Oklahoma Aerospace Institute executive director Jamey Jacobs said a
blimp like this could be used as a “submarine of the skies,” and that it
appears to have dedicated propulsion and navigation capabilities, which
would allow it to loiter over an area for an extended period.

“It really is the next leap for them in terms of furthering the
engineering and support of research funding in that direction,” Jacobs said.

CNN reached out to several congressional and administration offices
familiar with US intelligence on China who would not speak directly
about the base or the blimp.

On August 10, 2022, a BlackSky satellite imaged the cradle out of the
hangar and sitting at the pivot point on the runway. Tarps covering
parts of the cradle indicate it may have been undergoing some sort of
test or maintenance.
On August 10, 2022, a BlackSky satellite imaged the cradle out of the
hangar and sitting at the pivot point on the runway. Tarps covering
parts of the cradle indicate it may have been undergoing some sort of
test or maintenance.
Courtesy BlackSky
A senior Defense Department official declined to comment on what threats
the blimp represents in China’s arsenal but said since it’s visible, the
Pentagon would be aware.

“You can expect because it’s available via satellite imagery that we’re
tracking the object,” the official said.

The CIA declined a request for comment. The National Security Council
did not respond to a request.

China’s ‘near space’ program
The spy balloon incident from January brought significant attention to
China’s airship program, revealing how useful airships can be to its
spying activities. According to a 2018 report by the Rand Corporation on
the country’s modern warfare strategy, these types of airships are
attractive to the Chinese because they’re “less expensive … and provide
more-precise intelligence” than satellites, in addition to being “less
susceptible to destruction” than planes.

Although China is not alone in utilizing airships – the US military has
used aerostats – this discovery now confirms the PLA program uses all
three types of airships: blimps, aerostats and free-floating balloons.

exp china spy balloon natasha bertrand FST040408ASEG2_00002001.png
VIDEO
Suspected Chinese spy balloon was able to transmit information back to
Beijing
Eli Hayes, a researcher who has studied the Chinese airship program for
years, also noted that the blimp’s appearance at a Chinese military
facility marks a notable transition in Chinese blimp technology and
research – it’s not just civilian anymore.

“It’s not just people talking about possible applications or use cases,”
Hayes told CNN, explaining that past Chinese airships and
accomplishments have been constructed by research institutions and
universities. While it’s unclear whether those institutions assisted in
the creation of this blimp, Hayes does note that some are known to have
deep ties to the People’s Liberation Army, and at least one has been on
a US sanctions list for decades.

CNN asked the Chinese Defense Ministry about the blimp, and its purpose,
but did not immediately receive a response. China is in the midst of a
five-day May Day holiday.

Military patents
Additional satellite imagery and analysis of the site suggests that the
PLA has significantly loftier goals for its site, and its airship program.

The large, 400 foot long cradle, bears striking resemblance to figures
from a Chinese patent, held by the newly formed PLA unit 63660.
The large, 400 foot long cradle, bears striking resemblance to figures
from a Chinese patent, held by the newly formed PLA unit 63660.
Courtesy BlackSky
“If I had to guess, [this blimp is] probably some sort of testing,” said
William Kim, a surveillance balloon specialist at The Marathon
Initiative, a non-profit military and diplomatic research organization.

Where the airship program fits into the Chinese military’s overall
organizational structure remains a mystery, although patents are giving
a glimpse that they’ve recently created a unit to oversee the technology.

A number of patents involving airship technologies were recently
reassigned to a new PLA group – Unit 63660 – according to Hayes. A CNN
review of Chinese patents confirms that the new unit holds a number of
other patents relating to airship technology and storage, and that they
were recently reassigned from a previous PLA unit.

A 900-foot hangar
When the PLA originally built the massive 900-foot hangar in 2013, there
was little to no activity around it for years, according to a CNN review
of hundreds of satellite images. When winter storms would cover the
desert base with snow, other areas of the complex and roadways would be
plowed while the snow around most of the runway and hangar sat largely
undisturbed.

Excavation and construction work that began at the complex in the summer
of 2022 has restarted, according to the latest BlackSky imagery. It's
still unclear what the PLA is building to the south and east of the
large hangar, but the satellite imagery shows that it involves
foundation work, in addition to the construction of some sort of
subterranean basement.
Excavation and construction work that began at the complex in the summer
of 2022 has restarted, according to the latest BlackSky imagery. It's
still unclear what the PLA is building to the south and east of the
large hangar, but the satellite imagery shows that it involves
foundation work, in addition to the construction of some sort of
subterranean basement.
Courtesy BlackSky
Jacobs told CNN that it’s unlikely the cavernous hangar was purpose
built for the blimp seen in the satellite image.

“This blimp hangar is sized for much larger aircraft than what you have
for this particular vehicle here,” he said, which is an indication that
the blimp could be a test vehicle or sub-mission.

In 2020, a massive cradle-like device was spotted on the nearly
kilometer-long runway. The cradle is so large – roughly 400 feet long
and 160 feet wide – Jacobs says it’s highly unlikely the comparatively
small blimp seen in the satellite images can even use it.

The cradle also bears distinct similarities to a Chinese patent that
Hayes discovered, which would hold a large stratospheric airship.

Additional activity at the site continues to increase, as well as the
hangar complex’s footprint. Additional satellite imagery provided to CNN
by BlackSky shows construction, which includes subterranean excavation
and foundation pouring, is continuing.

It’s unclear what their purpose is, but Hayes says a major indicator
that China is really ramping up their airship program is if a truly
large airship emerges from the hangar.

“At this site in particular, I would really want to see the big
airship,” Hayes said.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correctly reflect the US
sources CNN reached out to and that they declined to address the blimp
and the remote Chinese military base.

CNN’s Steven Jiang contributed to this report

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