According to a report in CNN, China is building a missile silo field. The publication cited a report from the Federation of America Scientists (FAS) that states nearly 110 silos have been traced in the western desert area of the country.
The FAS report which was published on Monday is in accordance to the satellite images obtained by the organization. Washington Post reported that this is the second such silo after one which is located near Yumen in Gansu province.
According to FAS, the second missile silo field in Hami of Xinjiang province is situated 380 kilometers from the Yumen site.
Satellite data can be a powerful tool for reporters investigating important issues like the discovery of 100s of Chinese missile silos (x2), the impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters, & much more. Read our latest blog to see this work in action: https://t.co/SzD58gONdf pic.twitter.com/YVFr88JQ0c
— Planet (@planet) July 27, 2021
Furthermore, the report claimed that the construction at Hami site commenced in March of this ongoing year and is developing at a rapid pace. The FAS report notified that the area is being developed in a grid like outline.
Considering the satellite images, FAS stated that nearly 14 dome structure are visible at the Hami construction site. It added that the higher resolution images of the site is given by Planet.
While responding to the news about missile silos and tagging a New York Times story on it, the US Strategic Command wrote on Twitter, “This is the second time in two months the public has discovered what we have been saying all along about the growing threat that the world faces and the veil of secrecy that surrounds it.”
This is the second time in two months the public has discovered what we have been saying all along about the growing threat the world faces and the veil of secrecy that surrounds it.https://t.co/OTFkP14H5o
— United States Strategic Command (@US_STRATCOM) July 27, 2021
FAS noted that these sites marks “the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever”. It also asserted that this is the most expensive silo construction after the US and Soviet missile silo construction during the Cold War.
Reportedly, these silos will be included to the China’s arsenal of nuclear tipped Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). As per FAS, this ICBMs at present swelled to 250 comprising over half of the size of the entire US ICBM force.
Earlier, following the discovery of missile silos in Gansu, the United States described the build up as ‘concerning’ and asked for practical measures required to minimize the risk of establishing arms race.
While on the other hand, Beijing claimed that its arsenal is dwarfed by those of the United States and Russia and it is set to conduct bilateral dialogues on strategic security on the grounds of ‘equality and mutual respect’.