From the very moment of its formation, the PRC has been striving for the possession of nuclear weapons. Mao Zedong believed that as long as China does not have an atomic bomb, the whole world will treat the PRC with disdain. In particular, he said: "In today's world, we cannot do without this thing if we want not to be offended."
The PRC leadership several times directly appealed to the Soviet leaders with a request to provide nuclear weapons. But this was refused, at the same time the USSR rendered tremendous assistance in training personnel for the nuclear industry of the PRC and in the supply of scientific and technological equipment. Documentation on issues of interest to Chinese specialists was also provided.
The events in Korea and the clashes in the Taiwan Strait, after which the United States voiced the threat of using nuclear weapons against the PRC, only convinced the Chinese leadership that they were right.
The deterioration of Soviet-Chinese relations in the early 1960s did not change Beijing's motivation to acquire nuclear weapons. By that time, Chinese science had already received a sufficient amount of theoretical information from the USSR, and significant progress had also been made in its own research.
Google Earth snapshot: the site of a ground-based nuclear explosion at the Lopnor test site
On October 16, 1964, Premier of the State Council Zhou Enlai, on behalf of Mao, informed the Chinese people about the successful test of the first Chinese nuclear bomb (Project 596). The tests took place at the Lop Nor nuclear test site (in the vicinity of the Lop Nor salt lake). It was a "uranium charge" with a capacity of 22 kilotons. The successful test made China the 5th nuclear power in the world.
The 1964 nuclear test in the PRC came as a surprise to the United States. American intelligence believed that China would not be able to quickly develop a bomb, since it would take much longer to improve plutonium technology, without assuming that Uranium-235 would be used. Plutonium has been used since the eighth test.
Seven months later, the Chinese tested the first military model of a nuclear weapon - an aerial bomb. A heavy bomber, N-4 (Tu-4), dropped a 35-kiloton uranium bomb on May 14, 1965, which exploded at an altitude of 500 m above the range.
On June 17, 1967, the Chinese successfully tested a thermonuclear bomb at the Lop Nor test site. A thermonuclear bomb dropped from an H-6 (Tu-16) aircraft by parachute exploded at an altitude of 2960 m, the explosion power was 3.3 megatons. After the completion of this test, the PRC became the fourth largest thermonuclear power in the world after the USSR, USA and Great Britain. Interestingly, the time interval between the creation of atomic and hydrogen weapons in China turned out to be shorter than in the USA, USSR, Great Britain and France.
In total, the Chinese landfill with an area of 1100 sq. km 47 nuclear tests were carried out. Of these: 23 atmospheric tests (three ground, 20 air) and 24 underground. In 1980, China conducted the last nuclear test in the atmosphere, all further tests were carried out underground.
Google Earth snapshot: craters and sinkholes at the site of China's underground nuclear test explosions
In 2007, the PRC government opened a base for tourists at the Lop Nor test site, where the first nuclear weapons tests were carried out. Radiation levels in this area are currently slightly different from background values.
The concrete-protected bunker from which the tests were conducted consists of eight rooms located at a depth of 9.3 m from the earth's surface. Tourists can visit all these rooms in the research laboratory, command center, diesel generator and communication rooms.
A museum has also opened at the base, which displays old telegraph and telephone sets, equipment, clothing and household items that previously belonged to the base employees.
The first Chinese missile testing ground (later a cosmodrome), where ballistic missile tests were carried out, was Jiuquan. It is located on the edge of the Badan Jilin Desert in the lower reaches of the Heihe River in Gansu Province, named after the city of Jiuquan located 100 kilometers from the test site. The launch site at the cosmodrome has an area of 2800 km².
The Jiuquan Cosmodrome is often called the Chinese Baikonur. This is the very first and until 1984 the only rocket and space test site in the country. It is the largest spaceport in China and the only one used in the national manned program. Also carries out launches of military missiles. For the period from 1970-1996. 28 space launches were made from the Jiuquan cosmodrome, of which 23 were successful. Mainly reconnaissance satellites and spacecraft for remote sensing of the Earth were launched into low orbits.
Google Earth snapshot: Jiuquan launch facilities
On the territory of the operating launch complex there are two launchers with towers and a common service tower. They provide launches of CZ-2 and CZ-4 launch vehicles.
In 1967, Mao Zedong decided to start developing his own manned space program. The first Chinese spacecraft, Shuguang-1, was supposed to send two cosmonauts into orbit already in 1973. Especially for him, in the province of Sichuan, near the city of Xichang, the construction of a cosmodrome, also known as "Base 27", was started.
The location of the launch pad was chosen according to the principle of maximum distance from the Soviet border; moreover, the cosmodrome is located closer to the equator, which increases the load thrown into orbit.
With the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, the pace of work slowed down, and after 1972 the construction of the cosmodrome stopped altogether. Construction resumed a decade later, in 1984 the first launch complex was erected. At present, the Sichan cosmodrome has two launch complexes and three launchers.
Google Earth snapshot: the launch complex of the Sichan cosmodrome
Over the years of its existence, the Xichan Cosmodrome has already successfully carried out more than 50 launches of Chinese and foreign satellites.
The Taiyuan Cosmodrome is located in the northern province of Shanxi, near the city of Taiyuan. It has been operating since 1988. Its area is 375 sq. km. It is designed to launch spacecraft into polar and sun-synchronous orbits.
Google Earth snapshot: launch complex of the Taiyuan cosmodrome
From this cosmodrome, remote sensing spacecraft, as well as meteorological and reconnaissance ones, are launched into orbit. The cosmodrome houses a launcher, a maintenance tower and two storage facilities for liquid fuel.
Google Earth snapshot: SAM test site in Gansu province
Not far from the Jiuquan cosmodrome is a test site for short-range ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft missile systems. Another large air defense training ground is located on the shores of the Bohai Bay
Google Earth snapshot: SAM test site on the shores of Bohai Bay
Currently, the PRC is actively working on the creation of anti-missile weapons. The first such system of national production capable of intercepting warheads of tactical missiles at flight altitudes of up to 20 km was the HQ-9A air defense system, created in China using the technical solutions and design features of the Russian S-300PMU-2 complex.
Google Earth snapshot: the position of the HQ-9A air defense system in the Baoji area
In parallel, other missile defense systems are being developed, capable of intercepting ballistic targets in the middle segment of the trajectory. In the future, this will allow the PRC to create echeloned missile defense lines to protect not objects, but the most important regions of the country.
Google Earth snapshot: early warning radar station in the north-east of China
The weak point that prevents the creation of regional missile defense lines in China is the weakness of the missile attack warning system (EWS). The PRC is working on the creation of over-the-horizon radars capable of detecting the flight of ballistic targets at a distance of up to 3 thousand km. Currently, several radars are being tested or are in test mode, but their number is clearly not enough to cover all potentially dangerous directions in terms of missile attack.
The main Chinese test sites for missile and aviation weapons systems are located in the desert sparsely populated areas of the PRC. In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in the Gobi Desert, at the Dingxin military airfield, according to foreign media reports, there is a PLA Air Force Combat Use Center.
Google Earth snapshot: Exhibition of aircraft and air defense equipment at the Dingxin airbase
In the Chinese Air Force, the "Aggressor" unit was created on the model of the US Air Force to simulate a potential enemy. This unit is armed with Su-27 fighters.
Google Earth snapshot: J-10, J-7 J-11, JH-7 aircraft at the Dingxin airbase
Pilots from other PLA Air Force units regularly arrive at the Dingxin airbase on a rotational basis to conduct training air battles with the "Aggressors" and practice combat use at the ground range.
Not far from the airbase there is a ground training ground where samples and mock-ups of military equipment, including those of foreign production, are installed. Including there are models of air defense systems "Hawk" and "Patriot".
Google Earth snapshot: craters from large-caliber bombs at the test site
Xi'an is a major aviation center where combat aircraft are manufactured. It also houses the PLA Air Force Test Center, where new types and modifications of combat aircraft are tested, including the carrier-based J-15 and the 5th generation J-20 fighter.
Google Earth snapshot: fighter jets parked at Xi'an airfield
Google Earth snapshot: AWACS aircraft parked at Xi'an airfield
Google Earth snapshot: H-6 bombers and JH-7 fighter-bombers at the Xi'an airfield parking lot
Tests of promising J-20 fighters are also underway at the Chengju airfield. Where they are assembled, in addition to prototypes of the 5th generation fighters, J-10 fighters are produced in Chengju.
Google Earth snapshot: J-20 and J-10 fighters at Chengju airfield
China has built a concrete model of an aircraft carrier for training pilots and personnel. A concrete ship with a superstructure, a landing strip and a catapult was erected far from the sea near the city of Wuhan. A concrete copy of the destroyer was built next to it.
Google Earth snapshot: Chinese "concrete aircraft carrier"
The concrete "aircraft carrier" will allow the pilots of the Chinese naval aviation to acquire the necessary skills, first of all, in landing and takeoff from this type of ships, as well as provide the necessary practice to the technical personnel.
In terms of the number of operating and under construction missile and aviation ranges, test centers and cosmodromes, the PRC is currently not inferior to Russia. Considerable resources are allocated for the construction of new ones and the maintenance of existing ones in China. This allows you to maintain the proper level of combat training of troops, and test new models of aviation and missile technology.
Satellite imagery courtesy of Google Earth
