No, The Image Above Is Not Photoshopped: There Is A Chinese Equivalent Of The Star Wars Canyon In The U.S. Or The Mach Loop In UK.
Scheduled for release on Sept. 30, 2017, Sky Hunter is the first action movie focused on China’s PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army Air Force).
According to the trailer, the story is about a group of elite military who are called into action to resolve a hostage crisis and foil a terrorist plot.
The movie features, along with some CGI actual flying footage of various front line combat aircraft, including the Y-20 airlifter, the J-20 stealth fighter, the J-11, the H-6 and the J-10 multirole combat aircraft. Noteworthy, some scenes were filmed in a canyon similar bearing a resemblance to the one dubbed “Star Wars Canyon” used for low-level flying in Death Valley, U.S.
The flight through the canyon out into the expanse of Death Valley is referred to as the “Jedi Transition” (and the canyon itself is also dubbed “Star Wars Canyon”). The canyon has become very popular with photographers from around the world: even though not as popular as the Mach Loop in the UK, the canyon is one of the few locations in the U.S. where photographers can catch military fighters training at low-level.
The video below shows (H/T to Modern Chinese Warplanes for the heads-up) some behind the scenes footage.
You can also see a J-10C flying through the canyon.
Here’s Sky Hunter teaser trailer (that includes some CGI stuff, such as the Y-20 flying at night….):
