China Builds More Than 80 Launch Pads Near Hami Missile Launch Facility
Satellite images show China building a missile launch facility network near the Hami nuclear silo field in remote northwest China, with more than 80 launch pads and three octagon-shaped installations under construction. The imagery points to a larger spread of bunkers, communications nodes and launch areas across the desert.
Alexander Neill, an adjunct fellow at Hawaii’s Pacific Forum think tank, said, “We can see this infrastructure is being built on a grand scale, covering thousands of square kilometers of desert beyond the silo fields” and “we’re looking at a very considerable enhancement and diversification of China’s strategic nuclear deterrent.”
Hami Silo Field Expansion
The construction near the Hami nuclear silo field is being built on a grand scale, covering thousands of square kilometers of desert beyond the silo fields. The images reveal more than 80 pads for possible use by China’s expanding fleet of mobile missile launchers and air-defense batteries, along with three octagon-shaped installations.
Three security analysts assessed the imagery and said some facilities may serve electronic warfare, satellite communications and command operations. The network has not been previously reported.
China Nuclear Forces
The silo fields in Xinjiang and Gansu are the core of China’s nuclear forces, and China’s nuclear missiles can already reach any city in the United States. The build-up is among the most scrutinized parts of Xi Jinping’s military modernization because Beijing keeps its nuclear program opaque and has faced failed U.S. efforts to engage Chinese leadership on its nuclear capabilities and intentions.
China’s doctrine includes a no first use policy, yet the construction described in the satellite images points to an effort to preserve a second-strike capability if China ever faced an attack on its nuclear arsenal. That makes the Hami area part of a broader strategic picture, not just a local construction effort.
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump
This month, Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Donald Trump that mishandling disagreements over Taiwan could lead them to a “dangerous place.” China’s defense ministry did not respond to questions about its nuclear program and the developments revealed in the satellite images.
For readers tracking China’s nuclear expansion, the next fixed point is the continued scrutiny of the imagery itself: the more than 80 launch pads, the three octagon-shaped installations and the desert-wide infrastructure around Hami are now part of the public record, and the unanswered questions sit with Beijing.
