China expands flight test base in the Lop Nur Desert
China is expanding a flight test base near Lop Nur in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Satellite imagery has revealed four large new hangars, taxiway construction work, a circular pad that could be an engine run-up or aircraft turning area, as well as likely fuel infrastructure, South China Morning Post reports, citing an analysis by specialist outlet TWZ.
New base facilities
According to former U.S. Navy intelligence officer J. Michael Dahm, the latest stage of the expansion began around August 2025. At that time, a large tailless aircraft known as the J-36 was spotted at the site for the first time. Another advanced model, unofficially referred to as the J-XDS or J-50, was recorded there 17 days later.
As of February 2026, about 5,570 square meters of hangar space and more than 27,800 square meters of other facilities had been added to the base. Dahm believes these likely include facilities for testing and evaluating equipment, as well as housing for personnel. In his assessment, this effectively doubled the area of the base, which already had a 5 km runway. The site was also linked to China’s reusable spacecraft program as early as 2020.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Testing advanced aircraft
Aviation analyst Andreas Rupprecht believes that Lop Nur will become a new center for testing high-tech aircraft of China’s People’s Liberation Army. At the same time, another expert familiar with Chinese military aviation cautioned against drawing final conclusions before the base expansion is completed.
According to experts, the facility’s remote location makes it possible to test experimental aircraft far from densely populated areas and reduces opportunities for observation. Several hangars could enable multiple flight-test programs to be conducted simultaneously, depending on the size of the aircraft. Rupprecht noted that the new site does not create capabilities that were not available at the Yanliang and Dingxin bases, but is located in an even more remote area.
Three new hangars on the southern apron, each approximately 80 by 40 meters, prompted speculation about their possible use for the advanced H-20 stealth bomber. TWZ stressed that this assumption is speculative. China has not disclosed the missions, characteristics, or official designations of the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 aircraft.
