8 Tweets 16 reads Jan 14, 2023
A new satellite image from the 5th of January this year shows the development at Ataq airport, #Shabwa governorate. I've been tracking this development on lower resolution imagery in the tweet quoted.
#Yemen
The new imagery shows that the construction near the old military apron of the airport consists mainly of three Hardened Aircraft Shelters (blue). Several rooms (red) have also been made in nearby old sand barriers. A new wall separates this area from the rest of the airport.
These new aircraft shelters, which will possibly be covered with earth, should at least theoretically offer protection from Houthi drones and missiles. This would allow aircraft or, in my opinion more likely, drones to be stationed at the airport.
Given that any drones or aircraft now operate from airbases in Saudi Arabia under the relative safety of the shelters and air defenses there, this would give the UAE give a base closer to the frontlines (particularly those that matter to them).
The rooms in the old sand barriers were actually already built somewhat earlier, with Google Earth imagery showing construction already in July 2022. There's also what looks like an unfinished underground room a little further out.
The wall (black) shown in the first graphic continues outside of that graphic and almost completely separates the area around the new shelters from the rest of the airport. There's also a couple other unmarked new small structures in this area.
Also visible in the image (left) are an area with several Excavators, likely for collecting dirt to cover the new shelters. Another area has likely seen similar activity (bottom-right), whilst a third has seen some dirt berms erected.
I will continue to follow the construction on lower resolution imagery in the quoted thread:

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