A Chinese airbase on an artificial reef was shown on video

The first high-quality video of the combat duty of PLA Navy fighters on the artificial Yunshu Reef (Fiery Cross) in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea has appeared on the Web. The J-11 and Su-30MK fighters are on duty there in pairs on a rotational basis.

The infrastructure built by China on these bulk reefs is impressive, writes Dambiev. Three types of runways and hangars have been erected on each of the three main reefs: small ones for fighters, medium ones for bombers and Xian H-6 tankers. The largest ones can accommodate military transport Y-20 and Il-76, IL-78 tanker aircraft, KJ2000 flying radars.

The territorial affiliation of the Spratly Archipelago is disputed by six Southeast Asian States. In addition to its important strategic position, the archipelago is supposedly rich in hydrocarbons. Every applicant, from Brunei to the Philippines, has a small military contingent on the Spratly, but China is the only one who is expanding its presence by erecting artificial islands.

Anton Valagin