A stunning close-up footage of China’s strategic long-range radar was seen on a state television report of President Xi Jinping’s Lunar New Year message to the military.
Details on this seemingly advanced radar system that was featured again in a CCTV (China Central Television) report on Saturday remain obscure. Close-up footage, however, reveals dozens of antennas lined up in an octagon array in a structure approximately six stories high.
SCMP reports analysts saying that the long-range radar in the footage has a key role in Beijing’s strategy to enhance early warning capabilities against missile threats. Military commentator and former PLA instructor Song Zhongping also said the structure in the footage appeared to be a “strategic, active phased-array radar” capable of detecting missile threats within “a few thousand kilometers.”
On Friday, an end-of-year video sent to Xi by the People’s Liberation Army featured a group of “early warning and monitoring” troops standing before the ground-based phased-array radar station. This video included representatives from various military divisions, including the army, navy, air force, and even the aerospace force.
“We will strictly monitor the battlefield situation to ensure that if there is any situation, we will respond immediately.” an aerospace force representative, Standing before the radar, was observed firmly making this statement. As a part of this report, Xi extended Lunar New Year greetings to the troops and insisted that they “strengthen combat readiness duties” during the festival to face emergencies.
Former PLA instructor Song told SCMP it was “at the forefront” of the country’s anti-missile defense system. “It is key to receiving warnings early so that you have enough time to organize anti-missile forces to react.” He also indicated that China will potentially use this system to detect hypersonic missiles.
Phased-array radar systems have faster scanning speeds and better accuracy than traditional radars. The radar does not move physically, but instead, the array is controlled by computers to scan different directions electronically. China has heavily invested in phased-array radar systems since the 1970s as part of its military modernization program.
Alongside new anti-ballistic systems like the surface-to-air HQ-19, which has been compared to the US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence System, or THAAD, China also claims to have developed the world’s first ‘seabed radar’ capable of detecting high-altitude aircraft at a depth of 1,000 meters. While the HQ-19, capable of hitting targets at an altitude of 200 km, was publicly revealed at Zhuhai Airshow in 2024, the Chinese ‘seabed radar’ is still a secret project that could dramatically change combat dynamics by improving submarine offensive capabilities substantially.
Pentagon’s report from last year also mentions, “Several ground-based, large-phase array radars, similar in appearance to US PAVE PAWS radars – that could support missile early warning role.
While the PLA has not disclosed the number or any details of its long-range early warning radar systems, the Pentagon estimates that it has “several ground-based, large-phase array radars – similar in appearance to US PAVE PAWS radars – that could support a missile early warning role,” according to their report, last year on the development of the Chinese military.
Developed during the Cold War, the PAVE PAWS (American Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased Array Warning System) can detect missiles from as far away as 5,000km (3,100 miles). It tracks moving projectiles in great detail from 2,000km (1,200 miles), tracks satellites, surveils space, and even detects submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks.
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