Birds of prey

Founded 50 years ago, the Chinese Air Force's testing and training base in the Babanjilin Desert, western China, has grown rapidly. Various types of missiles and fighter planes have been tested there before being deployed by troops and scientists have made major breakthroughs in the research and

testing of robot planes. In the past 50 years,

more than 2,200 missile tests have been completed at the base, 40 large-scale air force drills have been staged and hundreds of scientists have devoted themselves to the research and innovation of the country's air force weapons.