China is expanding an airbase close to key naval base, satellite images show
- It’s situated near home of PLA’s South Sea Fleet in Guangdong, which could point to ‘operational linkages’
- Security expert says it may become a comprehensive air operations centre to support more activities
Previously home to the 6th Air Brigade of the Southern Theatre Command Air Force, the airbase is located in Suixi county, Guangdong province. It is just 32km (20 miles) northwest of Zhanjiang, which hosts a major naval base for the PLA’s South Sea Fleet.
The images, taken on September 18 and obtained by American military publication Defense News, show more than 40 markings for fighter-sized and larger aircraft painted on two expanded parking aprons, each about 1.3km long.
They also show taxiways widened from 18 to 34 metres (59 to 112 feet), and the existing 3.3km runway is now supported by an additional, parallel 2.8km airstrip, according to the magazine.
S. Mahmud Ali, an international security expert at the University of Malaya’s Institute of China Studies, said the geographical proximity of the growing Suixi airbase and the Zhanjiang naval base suggests “operational linkages”.
“The airbase should offer additional air cover to the naval facilities over and above Zhanjiang’s organic air defence,” Ali said. “The predominance of fighter aircraft in the base’s order of battle suggests the facilities are defensive – that is, designed to protect Zhanjiang and nearby key point installations, like Haikou.”
He said Zhanjiang was a critical region to be defended in the event of a conflict. It is home to civil and naval deep water ports that accommodate large vessels, and commercial ports that serve not only Guangdong, but also Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces.