China splurges on yet more missile silos
An overview of the new field of missile silos being built in eastern Xinjiang. (Federation of American Scientists)
On 9 July, Shephard reported that China was constructing a massive field of missile silos near Yumen in Gansu Province. Analysis of further satellite imagery has revealed that a second similarly sized missile silo facility is being built in eastern Xinjiang.
This desert site near the city of Hami, 380km northwest of the Yumen field, was discovered by Matt Korda, research associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), using commercially available satellite imagery from Planet.
With 120 missile silos under construction in the first site and an estimated 110 in the later site, this
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.