Key facts
- China may deploy space-based laser weapons by the end of the 2020s, according to a US intelligence report.
- The US Defence Intelligence Agency report is the first to estimate a timeline for China's space-based energy weapons.
- China is also developing reusable spaceplanes for military operations in outer space.
- US Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting stressed the importance of survivability for space-based defense systems.
- The Pentagon has unveiled four directed-energy weapons for counter-drone deployment.
A US intelligence report released on Sunday warns that China is developing directed-energy weapons and spaceplanes that could be used in space by the end of the 2020s. The Defence Intelligence Agency report, titled Challenges to Security in Space, is the first to provide an estimated timeline for China's development of space-based energy weapons. Beijing already possesses earthbound energy weapons capable of disrupting satellites, which are expected to become stronger and extend their reach beyond low Earth orbit by the end of the decade. The report also included an image of a newly developed reusable Chinese spaceplane. However, some experts, like Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation, are skeptical of China fielding space-based laser weapons by the late 2020s. China's state-run Global Times criticized the US report, calling it alarmist and accusing the US of its own military buildup in orbit. US Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting highlighted the critical need for survivability in space-based defense systems, noting that satellites are consistently within an opponent's weapons engagement zone. The Pentagon recently unveiled four directed-energy weapons for counter-drone deployment. Brendan Mulvaney, director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute, stated that the US is more dependent on space than China, making its satellites a potential vulnerability in future conflicts.