Satellite images of China showed a never-before-seen Chinese military airship located at a remote base in the desert in the northwest of the country. The picture was taken by the American company BlackSky in November 2022. It shows a huge airship 30 meters long, located on a long runway at a low altitude above the surface.
This discovery occurred only a few months after a Chinese reconnaissance balloon was shot down over the United States, which added even more intrigue to the development of Celestial aeronautics technologies. Leading aerospace experts are excited, because the observations indicate a significant leap forward in China’s airship construction program.
After examining the image, various experts confirmed the presence of an airship and a runway and a colossal 274-meter hangar for airships. The implications of this technology are huge, as Jamey Jacobs, executive director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute, explains: “This blimp could serve as a ‘submarine of the skies,’ boasting dedicated propulsion and navigation capabilities, which would enable it to hover over a specific area for extended durations”.
According to the Rand report, airships are an attractive option for the Chinese military because of their cost-effectiveness and ability to provide more accurate intelligence information than satellites. Airships are more reliable than airplanes, so they provide a safer option for reconnaissance missions.
The Chinese government has not provided any official comments or details about the airship, but the appearance of such a secret aircraft underscores the rapid pace of China’s technological progress in modern warfare.
Earlier we reported on how space became a battlefield.
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