Subi Reef Air Base (渚碧礁 Zamora Reef Air Base)
Summary
Operating Country | 🇨🇳 China |
Location | 🇨🇳 China |
Status | ◉ Active |
Usage | Military only |
Operating Organization | People's Liberation Army Air Force |
Description
Subi Reef is an artificial island built by China on a natural atoll in the Spratly Islands. It is controlled by China and also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Land reclamation activities by China began in 2014. By the end of 2015, the atoll had been developed into a 3.95 square kilometer installation with military facilities. Prior to this, the atoll was only exposed at low tide and hosted a small Chinese garrison; an estimate from 2014 placed 200 troops on the feature.
The base is operated by the People's Republic of China. The island installation hosts an airfield with a runway approximately 3,000 meters in length, capable of handling large aircraft. Civilian passenger jets have conducted test flights to the airfield. In addition to the runway, the base features a large harbor, wharfs, a 4-story multi-purpose building, a weather observation station equipped with doppler radar, and a 55-meter-tall lighthouse that commenced operations in April 2016.