Ashish Dangwal
China’s extensive fortification of its air bases in recent years has provided it with a significant advantage over US military airfields, particularly in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, according to a new report by the Hudson Institute.
Over the past decade, Beijing has undertaken an extensive effort to “harden” its airfields and, in the process, utilized enough concrete to construct a four-lane highway stretching from Washington to Chicago, as stated in the report titled “Concrete Sky: Air Base Hardening in the Western Pacific.”
China has engaged in what the report describes as a “nationwide, systematic campaign” to expand and harden its airfields. The goal is to withstand large-scale attacks, with a particular focus on safeguarding aircraft during intense air combat.
The analysis, authored by Timothy A. Walton, a senior fellow at the think tank, and Thomas H. Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, highlights that the number of hardened aircraft shelters—designed to protect planes from enemy strikes—has more than doubled, from 370 to over 800.
Meanwhile, the number of non-hardened shelters has surged from 1,100 to more than 2,300, bringing the total number of shelters across the country to over 3,100. These shelters are crucial for protecting China’s vast fleet of combat aircraft during a conflict.
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