The first dedicated overseas military air facility of China has opened at a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) airfield in Laos, as revealed by Military Watch Magazine on October 16.
The China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy began operations at Ban Keun airfield on September 29, 2026, marking a significant expansion of military cooperation between China and its landlocked neighbor.
The location, approximately 50 kilometers north of the capital of Laos, Vientiane, was previously used by Air America, an airline covertly owned by the CIA that supported forces backed by the US during the Cold War era conflict in Indochina.
The new facility is officially designated for training military pilots of Laos, but its location, infrastructure, and the reported deployment of aircraft of Chinese origin have drawn attention regarding its broader potential strategic significance.
Secret US operations in Laos and the CIA base
American forces conducted extensive covert operations in Laos alongside their military campaign in neighboring Vietnam.
Although Laos was formally neutral, it was turned into a principal theater of the wider conflict, with the CIA having organized and supported indigenous forces, including Hmong fighters, while Air America provided transport, resupply, and other services essential to sustaining operations across rugged terrain.
The historical account of the agency itself describes its air operations in Laos between 1955 and 1974 as one of the largest paramilitary operations it had ever undertaken.
Air America was of pivotal importance for the ability of the CIA to sustain its operations in the country, and while presented as a civilian airline, it was covertly owned by the agency and played the leading role in efforts to build paramilitary forces abroad.
Chinese J-20s at the American... Lima Site 44
Ban Keun was known as Lima Site 44 and served as one of the airfields utilized by Air America during the conflict.
The site was used to support US-directed operations, with Air America helicopters transporting Hmong troops and supplies to other locations.
The installation constituted a key departure point for helicopter operations as early as 1968, and formed part of a wider network of airstrips that enabled American personnel and their indigenous partners to move troops and supplies throughout the mountainous landscape of Laos, often beyond the reach of conventional road infrastructure.
The prospect of stationing in Laos has been raised at a time when China continues to widen its air force lead in both the range of its fighters and the availability of modern tanker support for aerial refueling.
The J-20 is currently assessed as the longest-range fighter type in the world, with more than double the combat radius of its American competitors.
Its successor, being developed under the J-XX program, is estimated to have a range approaching double that of the J-20.
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