The size of Subi Reef has grown by 3.95 square kilometers since July 2014, when Chinese dredging ships began working on the maritime feature. The most notable addition to the reef is a runway of around 2,200 meters, which may be extended by around another 1,000 meters. This runway, first identified in a satellite image taken in April 2015, is the third Chinese combat-capable runway in the South China Sea.