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| Info-graphic for the USA's Ballistic Missile Defence System |
Previous reports by Chinese media of a large active electronically scanned array radar in the country's northeast has provoked a great deal of attention from around the world, according to Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese.
Analysts cited by the website have suggested the radar is China's newly developed anti-ballistic early warning radar and others have suggested it is a space target surveillance radar. Japanese media have recently been hyping the former theory, according to the website.
A recent report in Tokyo-based Kyodo News stated that according to Chinese military documents, in order to build a network of anti-ballistic defense systems the Chinese military plans to launch early-warning satellites to explore the capabilities of enemy ballistic missiles. The report also stated that China has already developed X-band radar, which is key to ground-based interception systems targeted at ballistic missiles at high altitudes during their terminal phase.
The Kyodo News report stated that ballistic missile defense systems are divided into three phases. The initial phase is when the missile has just been fired, the mid-stage is when the missile is outside the Earth's atmosphere and the terminal stage is when the missile enters the Earth's atmosphere. Only the US has successfully developed interception systems for all three phases. If China manages to match this feat, it may shift the strategic balance the country's favor, according to Duowei.
Read the full story at Want China Times