China is actively developing its armed forces and making other countries nervous. Not so long ago, the head of the US Pacific Command, Admiral S. Locklear, admitted that the era of American dominance in the Pacific is coming to an end. The latest news and expert statements suggest that the Chinese military is strengthening its presence not only at sea and in the air, but also in space.
On Tuesday, January 28, several experts spoke at the US Congress, whose reports were devoted to the threats of the near future. The main concerns of American specialists are related to the development of the Chinese armed forces. According to EJ Tellis, a former employee of the State Department and the National Security Council, there is a threat of an armed conflict in the Asia-Pacific region. China's recent actions only increase the likelihood of such events. An additional threat to regional security is the new Chinese projects of advanced space weapons. Tellis likened the danger of such developments to "offensive cyber operations."
The former head of the US Air Force Space Command, R. Butterworth, spoke about some of the famous Chinese developments. American intelligence has information about the existence of a number of space weapons projects. According to Butterworth, Chinese scientists and designers are currently engaged in the creation of anti-satellite weapons (including those for hitting targets in high orbits), electronic warfare systems, "cyber weapons", laser weapons, etc. In addition, not so long ago it became known about the launch of several small interceptor satellites. According to Butterworth, these satellites can be used to destroy various spacecraft. At the same time, they are small in size, which makes it difficult to track them.
According to experts who spoke at the Congress, China is considering the possibility of an armed conflict with the United States and is preparing for it. Apparently, at present, the Chinese military is carefully studying the American group of spacecraft and determining the priority of certain satellites. In the event of a war, they can attack the most important vehicles, intending to inflict maximum harm on the US armed forces, which in this case will not be able to fully use satellite communications and navigation systems.
Experts admit that a war between the United States and China is not an inevitable scenario. There may be no armed conflict, but this is not a reason to relax and ignore the possible risks. To minimize threats, it is necessary to conduct their own projects of various weapons, communications and control systems. In addition, diplomacy can be a solution to the problem. One of the ways to reduce the risks could be the US-China agreement on cooperation in the field of military space technologies. However, EJ Tellis immediately expressed doubts about the possibility of signing such an agreement. The presence of anti-satellite weapons is a convenient asymmetric tool for China, suitable both for political pressure on opponents and for real military operations.
It became known that China had projects of promising space weapons systems several years ago. So, in January 2007, the Chinese military destroyed a meteorological satellite, which had exhausted its resource. The defeat of the spacecraft occurred at an altitude of more than 860 kilometers. These tests clearly showed the certain potential of Chinese developments. In 2010, similar tests were carried out, but they did not use a real target, and the interceptor rocket had to go to a given point of the orbit. Since then, Chinese scientists have been able to advance in their work and create new anti-satellite systems with higher performance.
On July 20, 2013, China launched three new spacecraft into orbit, the exact purpose of which is still a mystery. Soon the first information about the launched spacecraft appeared in the American press, allegedly obtained from intelligence sources. So, according to The Washington Free Beacon, one of the three Chinese satellites was equipped with a retractable arm, presumably designed to capture or damage other spacecraft. In some way, the information that appeared in mid-August confirmed the assumptions about the purpose of the manipulator. One of the satellites entered a new orbit, 150 km below the initial one, after which it passed several tens of meters from the other. Probably, in this way, the Chinese experts studied the possibility of the convergence of satellites with the attack of an enemy vehicle.
According to some reports, China is now developing a new interceptor missile capable of destroying spacecraft at an altitude of up to 20 thousand kilometers. This project, most likely, is still far from practical application, but the very fact of the work requires taking appropriate measures. If anti-satellite systems with such high characteristics are adopted, the Chinese military will receive more than a serious "argument" in a hypothetical military conflict. With the help of such missiles, they will be able to destroy a significant number of US military satellites for various purposes. This means that the US troops will be forced to use spare communications and navigation equipment, which will accordingly affect the effectiveness of their combat work.
Thus, already now, the United States should pay attention to a new aspect of the upcoming confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region. The information available now about promising Chinese weapons can be considered sufficient cause for concern. Given China's zeal in building its own armed forces, one can make assumptions about the timing of the new programs. It is quite possible that the Chinese military will receive new weapons to destroy spacecraft by the end of this decade.
