Chinese state media on Saturday published rare footage showing one of the country’s long-range radars that is designed for detecting missiles from thousands of miles away.
The Chinese military did not immediately respond to Newsweek‘s request for comment.
Why It Matters
The revelation of the Jiamusi Large Phased Array Radar (LPAR) station, located in the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang, came after the United States test-launched an unarmed but nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2024.
The radar station can be used for tracking satellites and space surveillance in addition to providing early warning against launches of nuclear ballistic missiles. China has seven known LPAR stations, according to the Alabama-based China Aerospace Studies Institute.
What To Know
On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended his Spring Festival—commonly known as the Chinese New Year—greetings to all servicemen via video link when he inspected the People’s Liberation Army Northern Theater Command, Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to report and footage from the Chinese military, one of the units that Xi spoke to is an aerospace force’s “monitoring and early warning station.” China established the aerospace force in April 2024, which is responsible for nearly all the Chinese military’s space operations.
While the report did not reveal the full name of the station, Joseph Wen, a defense analyst in Taiwan, identified it in a post on X (formerly Twitter) as the Jiamusi Monitoring and Early Warning Station, which was built before 2011 and had renovations completed in 2021.
This is the first time China has unveiled the radar station, capable of detecting targets up to “thousands of kilometers away,” Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group reported, serving as an essential part of China’s anti-intercontinental ballistic missile system.
According to the same report, China, the U.S, and Russia are currently the only countries capable of developing such long-range radars for early warning against incoming nuclear missiles. China conducted at least seven anti-ballistic missile tests from 2010 to 2023.
In its report on Chinese military power, the Pentagon said the LPARs supported China’s implementation of the early warning counterstrike nuclear posture, which provides missile warning that leads to the country’s counterstrike before an enemy first strike can detonate.
What People Are Saying
A Chinese military observer, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, told Newsweek: “It’s true that these LPAR radars rarely appear in public reports, and previous photo of the Jiamusi site were only posted online by someone anonymously.”
The Chinese military
The Pentagon said in its Chinese military power assessment report: “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] has several ground-based, large-phase[d] array radars—similar in appearance to U.S. PAVE PAWS radars—that could support a missile early warning role.”
According to the U.S. Space Force, PAVE is the military program identification code for the Phased Array Warning System (PAWS). These ground-based radars, located on both U.S. coasts, can detect submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and track satellites.
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether China will conduct anti-ballistic missile tests this year.
