Could this become...China's CV 18

China has the former Soviet-era Aircraft Carrier KIEV located west of the city of Tianjin as a floating museum Binhai Aircraft Park. A 2014 BBC report indicated that the ship was being converted into a hotel, however, recent Digital Globe imagery from 2016 shows activity consistent with the vessel being prepared to be relocated two years later.

In March 2016 Digital Globe imagery from Google Earth showed excavation equipment working on the cofferdam, opening an approximately 100metre opening to the sea.

By August 2016 Imagery shows the Cofferdam cleared and access to the open sea.

The August 2016 Digital Globe imagery also shows extensive dredging underway and two SHANGHAI Class gunboats tied to the stern of CV 18. The oil boom, seen in the insert image from the internet has been removed in the 2016 overhead image.

Comment: CV 16 began its life in China as a potential hotel and casino only to be resurrected as an operational PLAN asset. It is possible that this vessel may go the same way, and become China's CV 18.

NIMITZ CVN 68 MOCKUP, NINTH GREAT PROPHET EXERCISE, IRAN

 

Click the images for a larger image

 



Iran's major naval port of Bandar Abbas in Jan 2015 housed a NIMITZ mockup complete with mockup aircraft. The following images show the NIMIZ mockup before and after it use in the NINTH GREAT PROPHET naval exercise.

The explosion is likely the result of the attack on the mockup and some rigged explosives for the effect.

The rigged explosion pealed back the flight deck, and reveals no hull below, which could indicate it was designed for the effects see in image 3. The two possible battle damage through deck strikes didn't have the same effects as the port side explosion. Had they exploded like real weapons (instead of making holes) the mockup could have lost its bottom and sunk.

Comment: The provocation of simulating an attack on a copy of a US Aircraft Carrier could not be more plain.

PROBABLE ICBM FACILITY, SOLNECHNYY, UST LLIMSKOYE VODOKHRANILISHCHE, RUSSIA

As pointed out by a learned colleague, the SS-11 was phased out in 1996, so a this post has been modified. The estimated silo diameter is 3.22m.

Thaechon Special Forces Base, and Thaechon Airbase, North Korea

Click images to enlarge

SANEUM C4I SITE, NORTH KOREA

The Sanuem C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence) site is located north of the capital Pyongyang. It is a major communications, command and control, intelligence facility supporting both the military and government. Imagery used in this report is dated 21 Sep 2014, available on Google Earth Pro, along with available historical imagery.

Located West of the Administrative area.