In recent years, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has intensified its training and preparedness for war, and the exercises at the Zhurihe base have become a topic of discussion among all sides. Recently, foreign media reported that US aircraft carriers and fighter models have been found again in the Taklamakan Desert, and even the layout of the base is similar to that of Japan's US military base in Japan. This raises the question of whether the PLA will also target Japan.
According to a report by the Bulgarian military network, through the observation of the latest satellite images, it was found that the PLA found that at the shooting range in the Taklamakan Desert, a number of advanced F-22 and F-35 fighters of the US military appeared, in addition to the 1:1 simulated target ship of the US aircraft carrier Ford. According to the analysis of this foreign media, the military bases that are closest to China and have fifth-generation fighters deployed at the same time are only the Iwakuni Air Base in Honshu, Japan, and the Kadena Air Base in the Ryukyu Islands. Among them, Iwakuni has F-35 fighters, while Kadena has F-22 fighters.
F-22 and F-35 are two fifth-generation fighters in service in the United States, of which the F-22 fighter is an air superiority fighter, mainly used to seize air supremacy. The F-35 is a joint attack aircraft, which can be used to undertake ground and sea strike missions in addition to air supremacy. However, the flight speed and stealth ability of this fighter have certain shortcomings, and compared with heavy fifth-generation aircraft such as the F-22 or J-20, it is at a disadvantage in air combat. But the advantage of the F-35 lies in price and quantity, and now the price of the F-35 has been compressed to less than $100 million, and the annual production is close to 150 aircraft. In the future, the F-35 is expected to become the fifth-generation fighter with the largest number of deployments around China, and has been purchased in large quantities by Japan and South Korea. And the F-35B has a short-range/vertical take-off and landing capability, which is well suited for close deployment to China, and has the ability to take off even after the runway is damaged.
Foreign media pointed out that the Ryukyu Islands are only 1,000 kilometers away from the mainland and are completely within the range of Dongfeng-26 and Dongfeng-17 missiles. And Honzo is less than 1,500 kilometers from the PLA's Eastern Theater of Operations and is within the range of Chinese missiles. Dongfeng-17 is a hypersonic missile with a range of more than 1500 km. This advanced weapon can fly several times the speed of sound, and it is difficult to intercept it by existing means of air defense, so it is considered a greater threat by the United States. The Dongfeng-26 is a medium-range ballistic missile with a range of more than 3,000 kilometers. Such missiles can be used not only against stationary targets, but also against moving aircraft carriers.
And according to satellite images, these airport runways and aircraft models have traces of being hit. This shows that the PLA has carried out real combat exercises and launched attacks on imaginary targets. These targets are likely to simulate Japanese military bases, which means that if a conflict breaks out between China and the United States, Japan will inevitably be involved. In fact, Japan has been on the verge of action for some time. Japan's Ministry of Defense announced on the 25th that Japan's Air Self-Defense Force will carry out joint military exercises with the air forces of France and Germany and other NATO member states in July to strengthen cooperation to achieve a "free and open Indo-Pacific region". In addition, Japan intends to hold 2+2 talks with the Philippines in the near future, during which it is expected to sign a "Reciprocal Access Agreement", which will allow Japan to intervene in the situation in the South China Sea and join the joint U.S. military exercises in the South China Sea.
In addition, Japan is also the most important ally of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, and most of the United States' naval and air forces in East Asia are deployed in Japan. In the event of a conflict between China and the United States, Japanese military bases will certainly become targets. In recent years, Japan has wanted to break through the principle of exclusive defense and develop its military strength, especially long-range strike weapons and even hypersonic weapons, which will pose a greater threat to China. Japan still has a territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea, which is used as an excuse to strengthen its military deployment in the Ryukyu Islands, and even intends to intervene in the Taiwan issue. Coupled with the history of Japan's war of aggression against China, China has to be wary of it.