A former nuclear test range in a remote region of China's Xinjiang province has piqued the interest of experts in the sector as countries rush to improve their air forces' unmanned capabilities in order to create next-generation sophisticated combat aircraft.
A large, lonely, and mysterious stretch of land in China has sparked new conjecture that Beijing has set up its own "Area 51," where it is working on building unmanned military aircraft.
The original 'Area 51' is a classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility located within the Nevada Test and Training Range. It is widely assumed that it was used to support the development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems.
The War Zone claimed Planet Labs satellite imagery dated June 1 that purportedly shows China's same clandestine test facility near Malan in Xinjiang province. Before it closed in 1996, the Lop Nur nuclear test station was constructed in 1959 and purportedly conducted 45 nuclear tests in this desert wasteland.
According to the report, an array of People's Liberation Army Air Force drone prototypes were sighted on the runway, along with a manned J-16 Flanker fighter. While unmanned aircraft displays are not new to the site, it was the juxtaposition of an unmanned aircraft with a manned aircraft that drew the attention of people looking at the photos.
According to the article, an AI infusion program is in the works. Other countries are said to be actively exploring similar initiatives. The Loyal Wingman drone project in Australia is an example of this. The massive AI-controlled drones will be used in tandem with the F-35 Stealth Fighter.
According to the publication, the United States is working on a similar "Skyborg" project. Beijing's project is thought to be called "Intelligence Victory"
An even more unique complex, around 200 kilometers southeast of Lop Nur, is undergoing extensive expansion construction, with the first symptoms of which were revealed in 2016. According to satellite pictures provided to NPR by private business Maxar, the three 5-kilometer-long runways are arranged in a triangle pattern.
Experts believe this was the landing spot for China's first unmanned spacecraft voyage in September of last year. The spacecraft, which was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China on 4 September and spent two days in orbit before returning to Earth, was mounted on a Long March 2F rocket.
Maxar's satellite photographs appear to show that the company is expanding its hangar and service facilities significantly.
Last March, Andreas Rupprecht, a German author, and Chinese aviation specialist, tweeted about a prospective J-16 test using China's AI program "Intelligence Victory"
According to the site, the aircraft observed in Malan could be part of China's unmanned air combat development program. Beijing has not issued any formal statements in response to the rumors.
