See China’s ‘Korla East Zone’ to counter Western satellites

In mid-April, we at BulgarianMilitary.com told you that, according to the US, China has anti-satellite weapons. The information was publicly disclosed after the infamous Pentagon Leaks, which “disclosed” many classified military documents.

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Today we show you satellite images over the “Korla East” area. According to US intelligence and Pentagon Leaks, it is here, in Xinjiang province, that China has developed and deployed its anti-satellite weapons.

According to the British website Army Technology, the Korla East has two laser gimbals. They are part of China’s laser ASAT [Anti-Satellite Weapons]. Both gimbals are located in two hangars. The two hangars are located north and south. According to the British journalistic investigation, the hangars have retractable roofs.

The presence of retractable roofs is confirmed by the behavior pattern in Korla East revealed by BlackSky, a geospatial intelligence company. According to the company, the retractable roofs of both hangars open during the sunny lunch hour. This is the exact time when foreign imaging satellites are most active. It’s no accident, is it?

BlackSky says that at one point in its investigation, a very large number of foreign satellites were over the Korla East zone. This means that during the solar noon, both hangars were almost continuously open and collecting data. It was during this period of the investigation that China’s anti-satellite weapons could be used for ground-based reconnaissance. There are suggestions that in this period of geospatial investigation, several military satellites may also have been “caught” by Chinese intelligence sensors.

Amid a perceived conflict between China and Taiwan, where Taiwan will be supported by US allies in the region [Japan, South Korea, and Australia], Beijing’s ability to influence Western satellites is causing concern at the Pentagon. Although the US does not have precise information on the functionality of China’s laser anti-satellite weapons, it is believed that they can blind foreign satellites or disrupt their communications.

This is exactly what some experts in the field explain. The laser weapons in Korla East can blind and disrupt communication through directed energy. This also greatly affects satellite sensors. According to experts in the field, a well-heated satellite can easily become a victim of heat-guided missiles.

In addition to the laser weapons in the hangars, China is said to have also deployed an electromagnetic pulse [EMP] generator. Beijing may use it to protect technology against nuclear EMP incidents, according to people familiar with the matter.

The West knows about one test of a Chinese anti-satellite weapon. It was held back in 2007. But ignorance of other tests conducted does not mean they do not exist. On the contrary, according to the Pentagon and a report from three years ago, China has seriously advanced in the development of anti-satellite weapons. According to the Pentagon, Beijing already has developed missiles that can directly attack, engage and shoot down satellites in low orbit.

According to the EurAsian Times, China may even have nuclear anti-satellite weapons. This claim is based on a study by the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology in Xi’an. Scientists at this institute have developed a model for assessing the damage when using a nuclear weapon in space. According to the results, if a nuclear warhead with a 10-megaton charge is detonated at an altitude of 80 km, the missile does not even need to hit the satellite. The satellite will be damaged only by the effects of the detonated nuclear warhead.

To realize how serious the concerns of American intelligence are, we need to go deeper. We must enter the “rabbit hole” and see what awaits us there. And what awaits us is perhaps more advanced Chinese technology than that of the Americans.

First, China already has its own space station. No one knows at present what the secret developments at this station are. No one knows if the station is not armed with some kind of weapon, or if it plays a key role in communicating with Chinese satellites.

Second, there are reports of what anti-satellite systems Beijing is developing. According to observers, China is developing these weapons in the realm of kinetic physical, non-kinetic physical, electronic, or cybernetic. These technologies, along with China’s existing space station, aim to build capabilities to asymmetrically challenge US space superiority.

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