Sanya Airbase is a

military air base An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

located on

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

Island,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The airbase is in a highly strategic location, part of the

Southern Theater Command The Southern Theater Command () is one of the Theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessor was the Guangzhou Military Region. Its jurisdicti ...

, and within easy flying distance of the disputed islands in the South China Sea. Hainan Island is also host to a second military air base: Lingshui Air Base.

History

Analysis of Google Earth imagery since 2018 shows that Lingshui Airbase is undergoing extensive redevelopment of its aircraft parking areas.

Operations

Sanya is one of the Chinese bases which supports the Guizhou Soar Dragon and recent imagery has confirmed the UAVs' presence. The base is also home to

Harbin Z-9 The Harbin Z-9 (NATO reporting name "Haitun", ) is a People's Republic of China, Chinese military utility helicopter with armed helicopter, armed variants, manufactured by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. It is a license-built variant ...

helicopters.

References

Airports in Hainan Chinese Air Force bases {{China-mil-stub