Satellite Imagery Reportedly Shows China Building Heliport In Aksai Chin Region

After its massive military build-up along the Line of Actual Control, China is building heliports close to its borders with India, news agencies have learnt.

This includes one heliport near Doklam, which lies on the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan ¡ª the site of the 73-day stand-off that took place between the two Asian powers in 2017.

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The Chinese People¡¯s Liberation Army (PLA) has been continuously upgrading its infrastructure in occupied Eastern Ladakh since the last nine months.

China rushing to upscale

Satellite images over Tibet and East Turkestan (Xinjiang), especially along the Indian borders, indicate that China has been rushing to upscale its military facilities in Eastern Ladakh since the last three months amid the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the region.

India Today had earlier detailed surface-to-air missiles (SAM) locations from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. In fact, China had planned an ingress into Eastern Ladakh as early as August 2019 as indicated by satellite images.

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About the heliport

Now, the PLA¡¯s latest construction of a heliport inside occupied Eastern Ladakh comes to light through high-resolution satellite images received from Chris Biggers, a satellite imagery analyst based in Washington.

The heliport construction is opposite India¡¯s Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airbase, and at 16,700 feet, is extremely close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the 255-km Darbuk-Shyok?-DBO road, one of the reasons that sparked the standoff in early May this year. The road runs parallel to the LAC, connecting Leh to DBO, and is strategically important for India.

The Daily Guardian

What satellite images tell

The airbase and the new road are extremely close to the LAC, enhancing India¡¯s logistics capabilities, but irking China.

Latest satellite images covering occupied areas of Aksai Chin indicate that PLA has been constructing a heliport within the contested area. The heliport area was earmarked in the month of August 2019 and preparations began in October 2019.

Reuters

Work progressed steadily after May 2020 when hectic activity of bulldozers levelling the area and clearing the surroundings was observed. Construction work progressed at a fast pace since the last three months even as military and diplomatic dialogue continued to end the deadlock.