2. Subi (Zhubi) <-- What it looked like late last year/earlier this year But now Subi reef is almost fully developed:
3. Fiery Cross View of Fiery Cross reef from the ground (could you believe this area was just overflowing with blue ocean water just a while ago?)
Now, let's talk about Woody Island: Being the ones who wrote The Art of War, China has planned it out far in advance. Woody Island, the Spratly islands, and Scarborough Shoal will form the Chinese strategic triangle in the South China Sea (whereby if one point is attacked, the other two points of the triangle will counter): The missile defense of Woody Island: Some (war-)ships docked at Woody Island:
Finally, the next target of artificial island development, the Scarborough Shoal <-- What it looks like right now, July, 2016 (an undeveloped patch of reefs in the South China Sea)
Fleet of H-6K nuclear-capable Chinese bombers currently patrolling undeveloped Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea:
H-6K nuclear-capable Chinese bomber firing YJ-12 hypersonic missile (with a dummy warhead) in a live fire drill in the South China Sea: 1. Nuclear-tipped missile 2. Speed of up to Mach 4 3. 500km+ range 4. Each H6-K nuclear-capable bomber can carry seven YJ-12 [nuclear] hypersonic missiles (six under the wings, one within inner compartment) So, let's see, group of H-6K Chinese bombers with nuclear-tipped YJ-12 hypersonic missiles perform combat-ready patrols in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea (200km away from Philippines). YJ-12 has a range of 500km+. US military bases in the Philippines are near Scarborough Shoal (within range of YJ-12's 500km+)... US got so scared (when China announced H-6K would do regular patrol at Scarborough Shoal), they immediately sent an envoy to meet with Chinese Navy: (American envoy to the right sent to meet Chinese Navy in emergency meeting looked petrified [of China's YJ-12 nuclear-tipped hypersonic missiles deployed with H-6K nuclear-capable bombers patrol at Scarborough Shoal. In fact, with an effective range of 500km+, it is currently the most feared weapon in the world!]) But, China told US in the emergency meeting in Beijing, if they continue to meddle with China's artificial islands buildup, it will result in a very messy outcome (nuclear-tipped YJ-12 hypersonic missiles launched towards US bases and USN warships/AC's simultaneously from multiple platforms from multiple directions)
Other advanced weapons inducted by the Chinese military 1. Missiles with special flight path (S-maneuver) in the terminal stage <-- cannot be intercepted (Above image was missile with a dummy warhead fired during a drill. Imagine the destruction with a live warhead!) 2. Missile too long to be horizontally loaded on a warship
3. Radar jamming pods <-- Where the pilots have to wear a special suit to protect themselves from electromagnetic emissions
4. Hypersonic Mach 4 air-to-air short range (60km) PL-10 missiles with electro-optical most advanced Go-Onto-Target (GOT) missile guidance system and strong anti-counter measure that can distinguish chars & flares from engine exhaust <-- Once being locked, it is impossible for the enemy aircrafts to get away
6a. Civilian/commercial drones <-- DJI is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, China This is the most amazing [Chinese] drone we've seen yet (The Verge): (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdlmoLAbbiQ)