What's new

Should the US Fear China’s New Space Weapons?

Zarvan

ELITE MEMBER
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
54,470
Reaction score
87
Country
Pakistan
Location
Pakistan
Chinese_Space_War_1.jpg

Simulated Imagery
Beijing is working on a host of different weapon systems designed to destroy or disable U.S. satellites in space.


by Franz-Stefan Gady

A new report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission offers insights into China’s burgeoning space weapons program designed to attack U.S. satellites and undermine American C5ISR capabilities in the event of a conflict.

The Washington Times obtained a copy of the report, which will be published next month. “China is pursuing a broad and robust array of counterspace capabilities, which includes direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital anti-satellite systems, computer network operations, ground-based satellite jammers and directed energy weapons,” the report reads.


The People’s Republic’s counterspace capabilities play a pivotal role in the Chinese military’s overall anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) doctrine to counter U.S. conventional superiority based on network centric warfare. The 2014 iteration of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission report quotes a Chinese military analyst, who notes that the development long-range precision strike weapons “cannot be separated from space power.”

The 2015 report reiterates this line of thinking:

The PLA assesses U.S. satellites are critical to the United States’ ability to sustain combat operations globally. PLA analysis of U.S. military operations states that “destroying or capturing satellites and other sensors will deprive an opponent of initiative on the battlefield and [make it difficult] for them to bring their precision-guided weapons into full play.”

The report further points out that China is continuing to develop and test the ground-based, medium-range SC-19 ballistic missile, as well as the Dong Neng-2 anti-satellite missile, a high-earth orbit interceptor. The Dong Neng-2 could enter service within the next five to ten years.

China destroyed a defunct weather satellite with a missile in 2007. In addition, Beijing tested a missile-fired anti-satellite kill vehicle in the summer of 2014, disguising it as a ballistic missile defense test. “China’s nuclear arsenal also provides an inherent anti-satellite capability,” the report states.

China is also developing a number of different space-based weapons. “These systems consist of a satellite armed with a weapon such as an explosive charge, fragmentation device, kinetic energy weapon, laser, radio frequency weapon, jammer or robotic arm,” according to the study.

Beijing, in the event of war, will furthermore deploy its cyber warriors and cyber weapons to disable U.S. communications in space by attempting “to conduct computer network attacks against U.S. satellites and ground-based facilities that interact with U.S. satellites,” the study says. Should such an attack be successful it could fundamentally undermine U.S. ability to maintain information superiority in a conflict:

For example, access to a satellite’s controls could allow an attacker to damage or destroy the satellite; deny, degrade, or manipulate its transmissions; or access its capabilities or the information, such as imagery, that can be gained through its sensors.

Chinese analysts believe that the United States relies upon satellites for 70 to 80 percent of its intelligence collection and 80 percent of its communication. It is thus easy to see why China invests heavily into developing anti-satellite capabilities.

As I reported before (See: “Is the Pentagon Losing the Arms Race in Space?”), U.S. officials are especially concerned about threats to U.S. Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites.

However, as The Diplomat contributor Jaganath Sankaran emphasized in 2014,”[T]he benefits from an ASAT [anti-satellite] attack are limited and would not confer decisive military advantage in every plausible conflict.”

“The substantial range of orbital altitude — 1,000 kilometers to 36,000 kilometers — from which satellites operate poses a challenge to China’s ability to attack U.S. military satellites (…) Unlike the U.S., China has a very limited satellite tracking capability, most of which are based in its territory and possibly a few ships,” he explains.

Furthermore he stresses that “the presence of alternate platforms and built-in redundancies substantially limit the advantages that China can obtain from anti-satellite operation against the U.S.”

Should the US Fear China’s New Space Weapons? | The Diplomat
 
New weapon developments are part of China's active defence system. No war no fears...
 
China will install giant unit on the Moon

They won't, and they can't

To install weapon in the moon, they will first need to land astronaut on the moon and in a big scale, you can't just land 3 astronaut and build stuff from there, it would take a VERY LONG TIME....

And even if they can land a large amount of astronaut on moon, China is a signatory party of Outer Space Treaty which basically outlaw any weapon to be placed in Celestial Space, and that would include the moon

Outer Space Treaty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I doubt China's capabilities in space:
1) DN-2 will be deployed by 2020, America would have already come up with a solution by then.
2) China's sitting on a ticking bomb called debt. It's unsure as to if in future China will be able to fund its research with the same enthusiasm as now.
3) you see, they haven't reached the Mars yet.
 
I doubt China's capabilities in space:
1) DN-2 will be deployed by 2020, America would have already come up with a solution by then.
2) China's sitting on a ticking bomb called debt. It's unsure as to if in future China will be able to fund its research with the same enthusiasm as now.
3) you see, they haven't reached the Mars yet.

china space abilities - maybe we can, maybe we cant, but the main question is any countries willing to test are abilities.

what with this china debt things with all these Indian members, dost it help you sleep better at night or something.
 
china space abilities - maybe we can, maybe we cant, but the main question is any countries willing to test are abilities.
We know sun is hot and that's why we don't "test" its ability. Right?

what with this china debt things with all these Indian members, dost it help you sleep better at night or something.
Oh come on!
I meant your country might not spend on its R&D as much in next 5 years as it spends now. Its a well known fact that a second wave of recession has already hit many countries around the world- its a silent recession this time. My country is not immune to it either.
 
They won't, and they can't

To install weapon in the moon, they will first need to land astronaut on the moon and in a big scale, you can't just land 3 astronaut and build stuff from there, it would take a VERY LONG TIME....

And even if they can land a large amount of astronaut on moon, China is a signatory party of Outer Space Treaty which basically outlaw any weapon to be placed in Celestial Space, and that would include the moon

Outer Space Treaty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No weapons, but it does not rule out a spying station.
 
No weapons, but it does not rule out a spying station.

Well, Spying station also not allowed

article IV mentioned outer space are to be used for peaceful purpose, the building of Military structure on moon or in space is not allowed. Basically, the moon and the space must be demilitarized...

Article IV States Parties to the Treaty undertake not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner.

The Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all States Parties to the Treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on celestial bodies shall be forbidden. The use of military personnel for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes shall not be prohibited. The use of any equipment or facility necessary for peaceful exploration of the Moon and other celestial bodies shall also not be prohibited.

http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/ST_SPACE_061Rev01E.pdf

I cannot see how spy station can be of peaceful use........
 

Pakistan Defence Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom