China Builds Large-Scale Network to Protect Nuclear Launch Facilities From US First Strike

China has launched a large-scale construction project to build an extensive network of launch pads, bunkers, and communication hubs in desert areas near its isolated silo-based launch facilities.

This was reported by the news agency Reuters, citing the results of an analysis of recent satellite imagery verified by international security analysts and arms control experts.

The new military infrastructure is designed to protect the country’s strategic nuclear arsenal from a potential first strike by the US and ensure China’s ability to launch a retaliatory strike.

The released data indicates the discovery of more than 80 new concrete pads that Beijing could use to deploy mobile launchers for intercontinental ballistic missiles and air defense batteries. In addition, the construction of special facilities for electronic warfare, satellite communications, and secure military command and control has been observed in the desert.

Construction work is currently concentrated around two large octagonal structures that have been under construction for the past six years in the eastern part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. These fortified structures are located 140 and 230 km southwest of a large field of nuclear launchers at the Hami site.

Satellite imagery has revealed that these octagonal complexes house living quarters for personnel and garages for large-scale military equipment.

The facilities are flanked by reinforced concrete bunkers, secure weapons storage facilities, as well as rail tracks and runways connecting the complexes to the silos.

Analysts also noted active military exercises involving heavy equipment around the northern octagon during April and May. Near these structures, large tents have been set up, along with camouflaged launch positions in the desert and active positions for anti-aircraft missile systems to protect the area from air threats.

From each octagonal hub, networks of dirt roads and underground communication channels extend thousands of square kilometers into the desert. According to experts at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), these enclosed underground channels contain fiber-optic cables that ensure secure communication between command posts and missile launch sites.

Tong Zhao, a senior research fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted that the observed towers and satellite antennas are directly linked to elements of the C3 system—command, control, and communications. They ensure uninterrupted service and combat control of the PRC’s strategic nuclear operations at the Hami site.

US military commanders and weapons experts emphasize that China is modernizing and expanding its nuclear capabilities at the fastest rate in the world. According to a December Pentagon report, the Chinese military-industrial complex plans to increase the number of deployed nuclear warheads to 1,000 by 2030.

At the same time, China has significantly strengthened its early warning system for missile attacks using the Huoyan-1 series of satellites. This space-based system is capable of detecting the launch of an enemy intercontinental ballistic missile within 90 seconds and transmitting the signal to the command center within three to four minutes, giving the country time to launch its own missiles before the enemy strike hits.