China builds a full-scale Arleigh Burke destroyer replica at its desert missile range
Satellite imagery shows the PLA built a full-scale replica of a US Navy Arleigh Burke destroyer at a desert missile range, with the backbone of US surface power as the target.
Satellite imagery shows the PLA built a full-scale replica of a US Navy Arleigh Burke destroyer at a desert missile range, with the backbone of US surface power as the target.
China has built a full-scale replica of a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer at its Ruoqiang missile test range in the Taklamakan Desert, satellite imagery analyzed by open-source researchers shows. The target was flagged from a May 11 image captured by Vantor, a US commercial imaging firm, Newsweek reported on Wednesday. Bloomberg, which credited Joseph Wu of the Taiwan Defense Studies Initiative with the find, said the structure has been visible at the Xinjiang site since at least June.
The replica reproduces a ship's deck, bridge, funnel and main gun position in metal framing, sized to an operating Arleigh Burke, according to the Eurasian Times, which traced construction to about October 2025 in Sentinel-2 and Copernicus data. It is the latest in a run of mock US warships at Ruoqiang. Imagery from 2021 showed a carrier shape and two Arleigh Burke targets there, the US Naval Institute reported, and later frames have shown strike debris around the mock-ups. Analysts identify the site as a range for anti-ship ballistic missile work.
The Arleigh Burke is the workhorse of US naval power projection in the Pacific. Ten of them make up Destroyer Squadron 15, forward-based in Japan under the 7th Fleet and operating near Chinese forces, Newsweek noted. China showcased hypersonic anti-ship rounds at its September 2025 parade, the Straits Times reported, alongside the DF-21D and DF-26 ballistic missiles and the YJ-21 already in service. Analysts cited by the Eurasian Times said full-scale mock-ups let the PLA refine missile seekers with image-recognition, so a weapon can pick out and strike a specific warship type rather than a generic radar return.
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Subscribe Free →None of this confirms a live test. It is imagery analysis of a stationary mockup, and Beijing has not stated the site's purpose. "Setting up the stationary target serves as a deterrence signal," GLOBSEC fellow Bryce Barros told Newsweek, a message aimed at US, Japanese and South Korean Burke-class operators. The Eurasian Times said Beijing may build more such replicas to test its missiles and refine their precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the satellite imagery show?
It shows a full-scale, ship-shaped structure resembling a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer at the Ruoqiang test range in the Taklamakan Desert, with a deck, bridge, funnel and main gun position built in metal framing, according to Newsweek and the Eurasian Times.
Who identified the replica and how?
Open-source researchers flagged it from commercial satellite imagery. Newsweek credited a Taipei-based researcher working from a May 11 photo by Vantor, a US imaging firm; Bloomberg and The Straits Times credited Joseph Wu of the Taiwan Defense Studies Initiative. Construction was tracked to about October 2025 in Sentinel-2 and Copernicus data, per the Eurasian Times.
Is this proof China fired missiles at the target?
No. This is imagery-based analysis of a stationary mockup, and Beijing has not stated the site's purpose. Earlier imagery has shown strike debris around previous mock-ups at the range, and analysts identify Ruoqiang as a site for anti-ship ballistic missile testing, according to Bloomberg and the Eurasian Times.
Why an Arleigh Burke specifically?
The Arleigh Burke is the mainstay of US Navy surface operations and forward presence in the Pacific. Newsweek noted that Destroyer Squadron 15, comprising ten of the ships, is based in Japan under the US 7th Fleet and frequently operates near Chinese forces.
How does a fixed target help China's missiles?
Analysts cited by the Eurasian Times and Newsweek say full-scale mock-ups help refine missile seekers with image-recognition capabilities and validate the radar-to-shooter kill chain, so a missile can pick out and strike a specific warship type.
What anti-ship missiles could be involved?
The Eurasian Times lists China's anti-ship ballistic missiles such as the DF-21D and DF-26, the air- and ship-launched YJ-21, plus new hypersonic anti-ship rounds shown at the September 2025 military parade. The article does not confirm which, if any, were tested against this replica.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.