China rehearses assault on US stealth fighter bases: Beijing military stages attacks on F-35 and F-22 jets as it looks to deter American intervention in Taiwan

China is bombing models of US fighter jets as part of a rehearsal for a military strike, new satellite images show.

The satellite images, taken by Planet Labs over a remote desert area in northwestern China, show huge scorch marks next to low-tech models of F-35s and F-22s, some of the most advanced fighter jets used by the US military.

The photos also show a long runway with several scratches on the top.

It is currently unknown exactly which weapons were used to leave the marks, but the times reported that its size would indicate that precision missiles were used.

The desert, Taklamakan in Xinjiang province, is already home to military test sites. Three years ago, it was revealed that China had built mock-ups of a US Ford-class aircraft carrier and two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

Photos also show a long runway with several scratch marks on the top

The incident comes after a Chinese military drone hovered over an airport on a remote island in Taiwan, causing flight delays, the Taipei military and local media reported on Wednesday.

Liberty Times reported that the drone was spotted on Tuesday about five nautical miles from Nangan Airport in Matsu and hovered for about 20 minutes.

Beijing claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to gain control of the self-governing island.

In addition to military pressure from Chinese warplanes and vessels that are present around the island on an almost daily basis, Taiwan also faces attacks from civilian and unidentified drones that monitor and harass troops.

The military’s Matsu Defense Command confirmed that an unknown “Chinese military drone” was detected on Tuesday morning.

Matsu is located about 200 kilometers northwest of Taipei, but much closer to mainland China.

“Because the flight path was close to the take-off and landing routes of civil aircraft, Nangan Airport Tower was notified to carry out relevant handling to ensure aviation safety,” the message said, without further explanation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, Kazakhstan, July 3, 2024

The F-22 (pictured) is one of the US’s most advanced fighter jets

China has become increasingly positive toward the West, particularly the US, over its stance on Taiwan independence.

Taiwan and the US believe the island should be an independent, sovereign state, while China claims to govern the island.

China took indirect military action against Taiwan as recently as May this year, holding a major two-day exercise around the island as “severe punishment” for the self-ruled country’s “separatist acts.”

In response to President William Lai’s call for China to stop threatening the island and accept that Taiwan is an autonomous country, China sent air and sea patrols to see what a large-scale attack would look like.

China has also criticized the closer US-Taiwan ties. Taiwan has become a valuable partner for major countries in recent years through the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest independent semiconductor manufacturer.

In June, the country’s President Xi Jinping told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that he believed the US was trying to incite his country to attack Taiwan.

The FT reported that while he believed the US was trying to mislead China into invading Taiwan, he would not comment on it.

China began live-fire exercises in August 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island, saying it was a sign of the United States’ “unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.”