9.5467°N, 112.8867°E
| Operating Country | 🇨🇳 China |
| Location | 🇨🇳 China |
| Status | Active |
| Usage | Military only |
| Year built | 2014 |
| Operating Organization | People's Liberation Army Air Force |
| Runways |
05/23 · 3,300 m (10,827 ft) · Concrete
|
Fiery Cross Reef, also known as Northwest Investigator Reef, is a militarized reef in the South China Sea controlled and administered by China. The atoll was occupied by China in early 1988. In 2014, China commenced land reclamation activities, converting the reef into an artificial island of 274 hectares to support an airstrip, a seaport, and a military base. The airbase features a 3,125-meter-long runway, which was completed in January 2016. It is equipped with an early warning radar site and includes 12 hardened shelters with retractable roofs designed for mobile missile launchers. The base has enough hangars to accommodate 24 combat aircraft and four larger planes. Chinese Xian H-6N bombers are capable of landing on the runway. The People's Liberation Army Navy operates the airport. In addition to military operations, the runway has been used for test landings by civilian aircraft. By late 2016, the reef was armed with anti-aircraft weapons and a CIWS missile-defense system.
Satellite imagery dated 11 August 2026 shows the Paracel Islands feature turned into a 3.7-mile landmass with a deep-water quay and a 10,000-foot runway under grading, ten months after dredging began.