Photo hints a big US Air Force Reaper drone competition was focused on one of China’s fake islands in the South China Sea

The map in the Air Force photos suggests that the reef may have been a simulated target in last week’s Reaper drone exercise, though the Air Force has not explicitly stated that. A potential future clash between the US and China in the Pacific could see American forces go after the site with MQ-9s or other assets that they have stationed in the region.

The 1st Special Operations Wing did not mention Mischief Reef in its release, and Air Force Special Operations Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the photo.

“Air Force Special Operations Command is focused on specialized air power,” said Col. Mark Jones, AFSOC concepts and capabilities development division chief, in the Wednesday release.

“The MQ-9 inside AFSOC is focused on training the fundamentals — training Airmen to be skilled and adapt to use the MQ-9 in ways we haven’t used it before, for the future,” he said.