Late on March 12, 2021, Open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst d-atis @detresfa_ tweeted satellite photos showing a new Communist military base in Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, off the coast of China. According to satellite positioning, this is only 183 kilometers from Penghu, and the base and the recently observed expansion of the two military airports, also located in Fujian, could make the Communist forces pose a great pressure and threat to the Taiwan Strait periphery! Adding to the instability of the region. The Intel Lab and d-atis have authorized the use of this image.
Photo: Satellite aerial photography shows the PLA’s newest military base in Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, which is nearing completion and will pose a new threat to Taiwan’s southwest airspace.
As seen in the satellite aerial photo, this brand new military base in Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province (24°02’41.5 “N117°50’55.0 “E|24.044861, 117.848611) has a 1,700-meter airport runway (war runway), a 600-meter main runway (currently visible), 10 helicopter landing pads, and 27 parking Three helicopters can be seen in the picture parked next to the hangars. In addition to helicopters, unmanned military UAV helicopters are most likely one of the weapons deployed at this base. UAVs can observe enemy targets from a distance and transmit information back to the operations center, making the battlefield environment transparent for commanders to give orders. Military analyst d-atis tweeted that the base is likely to provoke a trilateral vortex between the U.S., China and Taiwan, and that its scale will create a new threat in the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: Three Mi-8/M-17 helicopters are visible on the ramp on Feb. 18, 2021
The new military base has not been reported in the past, and may be seen as a product of Xi Jinping‘s eagerness to solve the Taiwan issue and expand the Communist military’s war effort after he took office, as well as an implicit intention to challenge the established international order, break through the first island chain, and even directly challenge the U.S. military, according to military expert He Chenghui, who has seen satellite photos of the newly completed military base. In addition to the helicopters that have been photographed, the length of the runway observed so far is roughly estimated to be sufficient for fighter jets to land and take off, posing a threat and pressure on the waters and airspace southwest of Taiwan, as well as around the Dongsha Islands.
The new military base built by the Communist Army in Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province is only 183.17 kilometers away from Penghu, a very close distance.
The new military base built by the Communist army in Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province is only 386.11 kilometers from the Dongsha Islands.
From Google Map only a few years ago Zhangpu County, the new military airfield site is still empty land, not yet built military facilities.
He Chenghui stressed that this new military base can increase the flexibility of the Communist forces’ dispatch around the Taiwan Strait and increase their combat readiness, and it is estimated from the location that these airfields are conducive to the “forward deployment” of the Communist forces, which means that there is a lot of room to increase the number of military aircraft that the Communist forces can deploy in the future. As for the number of helicopters and hangars that can be observed, it is worth paying attention to the use of helicopters for assault operations, especially for island seizures. “Even though helicopters fly relatively slowly, they can fly close to the sea or use the terrain for concealment and are still a formidable threat for surprise operations. Small islands near Taiwan, such as Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and even Penghu, could be targets, as these potential targets are relatively close to the communist forces and can take advantage of favorable terrain along the coast, while Taiwan is relatively far away from the gallop. Therefore, the possibility of communist forces using helicopters to raid small islands has become an issue that must be considered for defensive operations.”
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