China Boosts Nuclear Missile Capabilities
China has expanded its nuclear missile infrastructure in Xinjiang, adding over 80 launch pads and new installations to bolster its nuclear deterrent.
Lauren Collins ·
The satellite images reveal more than 80 concrete pads designed for mobile missile launchers and air-defense batteries. Additionally, facilities for electronic warfare, satellite communications, and command operations have been identified.
These structures are spread across thousands of square kilometers of desert, signifying a large-scale effort to harden and diversify China's nuclear arsenal. This expansion supports China's stated of maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent, allowing for retaliation if a first strike occurs.
United States
The new infrastructure is centered around two octagon-shaped installations built over the past six years in eastern Xinjiang, approximately 140 to 230 kilometers southwest of the Hami nuclear silo fields. These installations include housing for personnel and large military vehicles, with a central building, a ring of personnel housing, and a third layer potentially for military vehicle storage, including launchers.
China's defense ministry has not commented on these developments, and the Pentagon declined to comment on intelligence matters.