BIG tension for US, India as China unveils GIGANTIC ‘anti-hypersonic’ radar, its capable of…

According to analysts, China hypersonic radar is capable of detecting and tracking incoming missile threats within a range of several “thousand kilometers."

China hypersonic radar: China, which has been rapidly advancing its military might of late, has unveiled an advanced long-range radar system, which is reportedly the world’s first early-warning system capable of detecting and tracking hypersonic missiles. The gigantic structure was revealed during President Xi Jinping’s address to the army on the occasion of Chinese Lunar New Year.

The end-of-year military video sent by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to Xi Jinping, showed a giant ground-based phased-array radar station with “early warning and monitoring” troops standing in formation before the structure. The rare footage was aired on Chinese state media at the end of last month, showing the advanced long-range radar, which is reportedly designed to detect and track advanced missiles, including hypersonic missiles, from thousands of kilometers beyond China’s borders.

Capabilities of China’s new long-range radar

According to Chinese analysts, the long-range radar is capable of detecting and tracking incoming missile threats within a range of several “thousand kilometers.” The massive structure is a “strategic, active phased-array radar” designed to be a frontline asset in Beijing’s anti-missile defense network, said military analyst and former PLA instructor Song Zhongping, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).

“Early warnings are crucial—gaining time to mobilize countermeasures is key,” Song said, adding that China’s new radar system is designed to track hypersonic missiles, which will be a game-changer if correct.

‘South China Morning Post,’ analysts suggest that the long-range radar featured in the footage plays a pivotal role in Beijing’s efforts to bolster its early warning capabilities against missile threats.

While details about China’s long-range radar are scarce, a CCTV clip offered a closer look at the structure, showing an octagonal array of antennas housed in a nearly six-story tall building.

“We will strictly monitor the battlefield situation to ensure that if any threat arises, we will respond immediately,” a PLA Aerospace Force says in the video while standing in front of gargantuan radar.

Where’s the radar deployed?

While Chinese media did not reveal the exact location of the radar station, Joseph Wen, a Taiwanese defense analyst, claimed it was the “Jiamusi Monitoring and Early Warning Station of the Military Aerospace Forces”, a Large Phased-Array Radar (LPAR) station in China’s Heilongjiang Province, originally built over a decade ago, and completed in 2021 after undergoing significant upgrades over time.

As per a report by US think tank GlobalSecurity.org, China has set up a giant, non-rotatable 30×24-meter X-band radar station Huanan County in Jiamusi, which is capable of intercepting, tracking, and identifying targets by utilizing data from the P-band long-range early-warning phased-array radar.

The report noted that the radar’s integration provides precise target information for missile defense systems like Hongqi-19 and Kinetic-3, and the focused X-band radar has the capability to isolate specific objects, enabling it identify real threats and decoys.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences reportedly operates a deep-space radar in Jiamusi, according to a September 2024 report by the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), a US Department of the Air Force think tank. The CASI report states that the ‘Base 37,’ a specialized unit of the PLA Aerospace Force (PLAASF) focused on early-warning systems and space situational awareness (SSA), operates the Jiamusi LPAR.

The report also notes that earlier, the LPAR stations were operated by the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), but tension between the PLAAF and PLAASF over control of these assets, could result in two parallel LPAR networks, each having a distinct command structure and data-sharing mechanism.

China’s expanding long-range defensive, offensive capabilities

Notably, China is rapidly expanding its long-range defense and offense capabilities, with the PLA successfully test firing an intercontinental ballistic missile last year.

Additionally, China has also been developing advanced anti-ballistic missile systems like the HQ-19, often compared to the US’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The HQ-19 system, which was showcased at the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow, is capable of intercepting targets at altitudes of up to 200 km.

China has also reportedly developed the world’s first ‘seabed radar,’ which it claims is capable of detecting high-altitude aircraft from a depth of 1,000 meters.