Imagery And Analysis

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

Hi, anyone tell me what is at 50.732425°, 136.698305°

The two tanks look straightforward enough, but are they some sort of missile silos there?

RoAF · Joined: 29 Sep 2007 Posts: 140 : Items

I don't think it's a military facility. Not enough security - no fences at all, nothing resembling a garrison nearby, no upkeep of the place. It's also very close to the village to the east.

Besides, nobody would put missile silos that close to fuel - or even water tanks.

It is in relation with the larger site to the west - wich looks like a semi-abandoned industrial facility (maybe mining or gravel processing).
The things near the tanks might be concrete foundations - notice that there are plenty of ruined or uncompleted buildings in the area. Or it might be some sort of water storage and filtering facility

SOC · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:37 am Post subject:

Not missile silos. I have all of the visible silos in Russia tagged for my next article.
_________________
"Peace through kinetic solutions"

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

cool, cheers guys

I think "Fortress China" is next but it's a massive undertaking. Anyway, is this an AD system? 34.655604°, 109.258857° ?

Also, is this some sort of SAM training area @ 34.649595°, 108.976582° or an EW site associated with the nearby logged HQ-2 site?

I might be way off here, but are these launch pads at 37.994183°, 112.558326° - the whole area is dotted with bases, tunnels, military storage/ammo dumps etc. Another large military storage area 70km south also.

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

SOC · Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 12:52 am Post subject:

China? Good luck, seriously. That's a buttload of data to deal with. I've got the air defense sites and a file of every military airfield on my site you can use to pick through. I did a piece on the Chinese SAM Network a while back too, it's in the archives. I'm working on something covering their missile forces right now, I've got a few hundred missile sites marked. It'll be next up after I finish the damn RSVN piece, which is FINALLY to the point where I can enter the text.

Regarding your coordinates:

-First site at the end of the CFTE runway is just a hardened storage area.
-Second site is a SAM training range, I thought I had that one in the database. Must have missed it. The whole area in the circle is actually a training facility, but the upper HQ-2 site does appear to be operationally configured and is marked as such. If you look closely at your site you can make out a few HQ-2 launch rails, I'll label it as an HQ-2 training facility.
-As for the last placemark...you'll have to wait and find out Very Happy

There is a TON of fun stuff in that area though, starting with the facility 2.5 miles west of those pads...
_________________
"Peace through kinetic solutions"

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

How about we work together on China's missile sites - i.e. I'll illustrate, you do the analysis and Google Earth bit?

In the meantime I think China's air defences are big enough for my Fortress China thing. - Your previous blog article was of course my starting point, plus I'm a long time member of Sinodefenceforum.

One question actually re the HQ-61 site you found. How were you able to ID that system's site?

SOC · Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 7:27 pm Post subject:

If you want to collaborate on China, I'm game. It'll be a few days before I can get started though, I'm finishing up the Russian Strategic Forces article. Then Google goes and updates and screws with my world forcing me to take an hour or two to see if any imagery updates in key areas have slipped in there. The historical imagery feature is good, but it doesn't show you all of the backdated imagery. They used to have an image of Novosibirsk where you could see all 9 SS-25 TELs sitting in the open at two garrisons, but it won't show up with the new feature. Dammit.
_________________
"Peace through kinetic solutions"

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

historical image feature??? whahhhh????

BTW, you've probably seen this already, but there's a training area at 40.171169°, 116.115899°. Looks like a comms station with camo netting. Also a JCB digger to do the revetments.. Curious antenna nearby at 40.149682°, 116.121585°

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

I'm finding quote a few sites like this one on these islands opposite Taiwan: 26.156926°, 119.948579° I have them noted as artillery but might they be SRBM?

Also, I'm beginning to find some cities/locations heavily defended by AAA sites. Surprised me actually.

SOC · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:59 am Post subject:

Those pads are most likely AAA, artillery, or maybe even radar emplacements. They're not SSM launch pads, they have more than enough to have to put them a few miles out to sea on islands anyway.
_________________
"Peace through kinetic solutions"

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

Odd earthworks at 42.132243°, 123.348051°
The hills to the west also have strange facilities on, though quite minimal.

And now for one of the coolest pieces of kit ever

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

What's this? 38.977547°, 117.704046° - mast mounted radar but also MiG-23(???) nearby.

SOC · Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 1:08 am Post subject:

Just an out of the way radar. That's an old fort, preserved as a monument. The MiG-23 is likely a leftover from the display on the Kiev a few miles northeast along the coast.
_________________
"Peace through kinetic solutions"

raj47 · Joined: 06 Dec 2008 Posts: 302 : Location: india Items

Its Taku Forts. Wikipedia has a page on it.
The radar seems to be part of a coastal surveillance facility with dish antenna and an aerial for communication.

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

cheers guys

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

A rare find indeed; PLAAF HQ-7 deployed to defend the Olympic stadiums.

39.977874°, 116.394688°

Imagery from July 2008 shows it. Would never have spotted it (damn near invisible due to cammo netting) and definately not ID'd it if it weren't for this http://www.sinodefence.com/news/2008/news08-06-24.asp (note posted 24th June 2008 so photo probably taken within few weeks of Sat imagery). Located via the angle of the stadium stands and the blue tents visible in the pic.

V. chuffed with myself.

Update. ok, now we know what to look for, there's another HQ-7 site at 40.015687°, 116.404218°

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

Planeman · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 492 : Items

SOC · Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:56 am Post subject:

As air defense assets go, I think you still need the HQ-9, a fixed HQ-2 launcher (pretty much identical to an SA-2), and the towed S-300PMU-1. The S-300PMU they use is nearly identical to the S-300PMU-1 you did for Vietnam with a different mast antenna, the equipment for the master/slave TEL relationship, and the different launch tubes for the older 5V55 series missiles. A 36D6 and 64N6 radar set would be interesting to see rendered as well. I'm working on a diagram showing the difference between the 5N63 (FLAP LID), 30N6 (TOMB STONE), AN/MPQ-53 (PATRIOT), and HT-233 (HQ-9) radar systems. All four use flat phased arrays and are very similar in appearance, with the Russian and Chinese radars even being mounted on similar vehicles.
_________________
"Peace through kinetic solutions"