China is expanding a major flight-test facility in its western desert region to accelerate the development of next-generation military aircraft as part of its race with the United States for sixth-generation air power, SCMP reported.

Satellite imagery of the Lop Nur site in Xinjiang reveals construction of four large hangars, new taxiways, a circular pad likely for engine testing or aircraft turnaround, and possible fuel-storage infrastructure. This expansion coincides with China’s pursuit of multiple advanced combat-aircraft programs simultaneously, giving it greater capacity to test sensitive designs and conduct parallel flight-test programs away from routine scrutiny.

The buildout has been traced back to sightings of next-generation fighters. J Michael Dahm, a retired US Navy intelligence officer and senior fellow for aerospace and China studies at the Mitchell Institute, stated that construction began around August 2025, coinciding with the first sighting of the tailless aircraft widely believed to be China’s J-36 sixth-generation fighter.

Seventeen days later, another aircraft, commonly referred to as the J-XDS or J-50, was spotted at the site. By February this year, Dahm noted that the facility had added approximately 5,570 square metres of hangar space and more than 27,870 square metres of additional infrastructure, effectively doubling the base’s overall size. The new construction likely includes testing and evaluation zones, as well as accommodation for personnel.

The site already featured a 5-km runway and had been linked to China’s reusable spacecraft program since at least 2020. Lop Nur’s remote location in a vast, sparsely populated stretch of Xinjiang provides China with a strategic advantage in conducting experimental flight trials away from major population centres and routine observation.

The expanded facility could ease pressure on existing flight-test sites, enabling multiple aircraft programs to run concurrently and potentially speeding up the overall pace of testing. Its several large hangars are capable of housing multiple programs depending on aircraft size.

The Lop Nur expansion is part of a wider build-out of China’s aerospace-industrial infrastructure. Separately, China is constructing a new production complex roughly 16 km north of an existing facility in Shenyang, in the country’s northeast, estimated to span around 3.72 lakh square metres of manufacturing space. This reflects Beijing’s determination to strengthen its aerospace capabilities and industrial base.

This infrastructure expansion comes amid a broader contest between China and the United States to develop a new generation of combat aircraft designed to operate alongside advanced drones, sensors and long-range weapons systems.

Beijing has not officially disclosed the mission profiles, specifications or formal designations of the J-36 or the J-XDS/J-50. The Pentagon’s latest China Military Power Report described both aircraft as being in the nascent stages of development, projecting they could become operational by 2035. Sightings of the two aircraft have nonetheless offered rare insight into China’s ambitions for next-generation air power.

The Lop Nur expansion has also reignited speculation surrounding the H-20, China’s long-rumoured stealth strategic bomber, which has never been publicly unveiled and whose designation remains unconfirmed. The scale of the new infrastructure has raised questions about whether the facility could eventually support the H-20 program.

According to The War Zone, three hangars on the site’s southern apron each measure approximately 80 by 40 metres, large enough to accommodate any aircraft currently in the PLA’s inventory, including the H-6 strategic bomber with a wingspan of about 33 metres.

These hangars are notably wider than conventional shelters built for tactical aircraft, potentially leaving room for future platforms with considerably larger wingspans. While there is no confirmed evidence directly linking the hangars to the bomber program, what is evident is that China is investing heavily in infrastructure required to test and develop its next generation of military aircraft, with Lop Nur emerging as a central piece of that effort.

China’s rapid expansion of aerospace facilities underscores its determination to match or surpass US advances in sixth-generation technology.

The combination of remote testing grounds, large-scale industrial complexes, and sightings of advanced prototypes suggests that Beijing is accelerating its timeline for operational deployment. If successful, these efforts could significantly alter the balance of power in the skies over Asia and beyond.

Agencies