"Chinese Military Sets Up Simulated Targets of Japanese Self-Defense Force Aircraft at Desert Shooting Range"

E-767, F-35, and F-2 Mock-ups Captured in Satellite Images
Analysis Suggests Move Aimed at Pressuring the Takaichi Administration Beyond Actual Training Purposes

The Sankei Shimbun reported on September 27 that the Chinese military has set up simulated targets resembling the main aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at a shooting range in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F2 Fighter Jet. Japanese Air Self-Defense Force

According to an analysis of satellite images by the National Institute for Defense Studies, a Japanese private research institute, the Chinese military installed simulated targets of three models of Japan Air Self-Defense Force aircraft at the Lop Nur shooting range in Xinjiang Uygur in January.

The aircraft models identified as targets are the E-767 early warning aircraft, the F-35 stealth fighter jet, and the F-2 fighter jet. At this training ground, the Chinese military, which had previously conducted training to destroy E-767s, expanded the simulation targets to include F-35 and F-2 models.

The National Institute for Defense Studies analyzed that, in addition to actual training purposes, this move was likely aimed at pressuring the Japanese government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with an awareness that such actions would be captured by satellite imagery. The deterioration in bilateral relations since Prime Minister Takaichi hinted at intervention in the event of a Taiwan contingency in November last year is cited as the context behind this.

Maki Nakagawa, a researcher at the National Institute for Defense Studies, told the Sankei Shimbun, "After 2023, no targets specifically aimed at the Japan Self-Defense Forces were seen at Chinese test sites for some time, but the moves observed since November last year may have been triggered by the inauguration of the Takaichi administration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.