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from https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-images-china-mock-ford-carrier-target-western-desert-2024-1

It is best to go to the citation to see the pictures.

Satellite images show China made an apparent USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier target out in the desert
Chris Panella Jan 5, 2024, 2:26 PM PST

Satellite image of a new carrier target in China's Taklamakan Desert.
Satellite image of a new carrier target apparently modeled after the USS
Gerald R. Ford in China's Taklamakan Desert, captured January 1, 2024.
Image © Planet Labs PBC
China has a new carrier-shaped target, and it looks a lot like the US
Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.
Satellite images show the suspected target on a range in the desert.
The mock-ups may be opportunities for China to test elements of its
missile force, which has grown in recent years.
Insider Today

New satellite images have captured what appears to be a mock-up of the
USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier on a range in a Chinese desert.

The carrier-shaped object, like some of the others in the area, is
likely there for target practice, allowing China to test its
increasingly formidable missile force and may highlight Chinese efforts
to build a force capable of keeping American warships at bay.

The satellite images, which were taken on January 1 by Planet Labs, show
the apparent target in the Taklamakan Desert. The suspected target
appears to match the shape, size, and certain details of the USS Gerald
R. Ford, according to The War Zone, which first reported the satellite
images.

Aircraft attached to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 sit on USS Gerald R.
Ford's (CVN 78) flight deck as the ship steams through the Atlantic
Ocean, April 13, 2022. Petty Officer 3rd Class Riley McDowell
The Planet Labs images show the island, more aft than Nimitz-class
carriers, and the four catapult tracks marked on the model's deck. The
design is consistent with that of the Ford, and the shape is over 1,000
feet long.

Work on the model began in November 2023, according to The War Zone's
review of past satellite imagery. An outline has been present for a
while before a more detailed target was erected.

Two smaller carrier targets and an outline of a larger one in a
satellite image taken July 28, 2023.
Two smaller carrier targets and an outline of a larger one in a
satellite image taken July 28, 2023. Image © Planet Labs PBC
Planet Labs also took pictures of additional targets, one an apparent US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. That had previously been a silhouette but
now looks to have structural improvements to match a destroyer.

A satellite image of an apparent US Arleigh Burke class destroyer in the Taklamakan Desert, photographed January 1, 2024.
A satellite image of an apparent US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the Taklamakan Desert, photographed January 1, 2024. Image © Planet Labs PBC
The range in the Taklamakan Desert, located in the Ruoqiang area of
Xinjiang in northwest China, is an area for what is believed to be missile-strike training. Satellite images have repeatedly documented
what look to be models of US warships in the area.

In one instance, satellite images back in October 2021 captured what
appeared to be a warship target on a rail system that could move back
and forth.

In the Indo-Pacific region, the US Navy regularly operates aircraft
carriers and other warships, routinely patrolling waters and frequently conducting military exercises. These activities at times cause friction
with China.

In the event of a conflict, it is expected that China would target US
carriers given their high-profile status and role.

Navy aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford
USS Gerald R. Ford in the Atlantic Ocean on March 19, 2023. US Navy/MCS2 Jackson Adkins
If China is looking to test missiles against the model of the Ford, it
would align with their apparent goals to bolster the capabilities of the
rocket force, including its anti-ship elements.

In October 2023, the US Department of Defense released its annual China Military Power Report analyzing China's growing military might and
combat capability. The report's estimates on the Chinese missile
stockpiles showed significant increases across the board since the
previous year.

Intermediate-range ballistic missiles like the DF-26, saw a staggering
jump from 300 stockpiled in 2021 to 500 in 2022. Those missiles have an estimated range of 1,000-3,000km, and while they are called "Guam
Killers" given their potential to strike US forces on the Pacific
island, their anti-ship role led to the nickname "carrier killer."

A larger stockpile of DF-26s could threaten US aircraft carriers like
the Ford, allowing China to target them from a safe distance. China has
also increased its arsenal of medium-range missiles, some of which also
have anti-ship capabilities.

The Chinese military also has a variety of anti-ship cruise missiles.

The USS Gerald R. Ford ,the Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft
carrier, is returning home from its first full deployment. The
supercarrier, as it is referred to considering its size and abilities,
was first commissioned more than five years ago and has been in the
making for over a decade. The warship's hefty price tag exceeded $13
billion and majorly inflated due to delays and technological integration issues.

Until recently, the Ford has been operating in waters near Israel. It
relocated there in October in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

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Defense

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