A US think tank has reported that satellite imagery shows that China is allegedly building a new network of silos for launching nuclear missiles. This marks the second such project that American analysts have accused Beijing of initiating and advancing within the past several weeks. A report regarding the silos was released on Monday by the Federation of American Scientists, who characterized the efforts as the construction of a missile-silo field in the northwestern frontier region of Xinjiang. The analysts used commercial satellite imagery to identify the project.
The images appear to show 14 different silo-construction sites placed 1.9 miles apart from each other in a grid pattern. Each of the silos seemingly contains shelters to protect them from the elements. The analysts also identified 19 other sites where soil appeared to have been cleared as preparation for building work. Experts estimated that the construction, which started in March, will eventually contain 110 silos given the grid outlines at the facility. The report came just weeks after another US entity stated that they may have detected signs of construction. The same think tank estimates that China has roughly 350 nuclear warheads, compared to the US’s stockpile of 4,000.
Read More: China Appears to Be Building New Silos for Nuclear Missiles, Researchers Say
