Are Chinese military aircraft already using a new joint air facility in Laos?
Chinese military aircraft may already be using a new joint aviation facility in Laos, with satellite imagery showing twice as many K-8/JL-8-family trainer aircraft there as the Laotian air force is assessed to possess. Eight of the two-seat trainer and light-attack aircraft were visible at Ban Keun Airport in commercial satellite imagery taken on September 30, according to Reuters, which first…
The South China Morning Post reports that satellite imagery has revealed a significant number of Chinese military K-8/JL-8-family trainer aircraft at the newly inaugurated China-Laos Joint Support and Training Centre in Laos. Eight of these two-seat trainers were visible at Ban Keun Airport, which is more than double the estimated four K-8Ws the Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force currently operates.
The images, taken on September 30, also showed over two dozen military and support vehicles. Andreas Rupprecht, a Chinese military aviation analyst, believes the visible aircraft are a mix of Laotian and PLA Air Force K-8s, citing differences in colour schemes. However, a satellite imagery expert was more cautious, pointing to the possibility of tarpaulins obscuring colour identification.
While China's deputy director of the CSIS China Power Project believes the presence of these aircraft does not signify a significant expansion of Chinese air power in the region, the imagery does suggest that Ban Keun Airport has the capacity to accommodate many more aircraft than Laos' existing fleet.
Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
