Satellite images show China is building more than 100 'nuclear missile silos' ...

Satellite images show China is building more than 100 'nuclear missile silos' ...
Satellite images show China is building more than 100 'nuclear missile silos' ...

China has begun construction on more than 100 missile silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles in a desert near the northwestern city of Yumen, experts have said.

Researchers at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California have obtained commercial satellite images that they say show the construction of the silos underway.

The images show 119 nearly identical construction sites that the analysts say mirror features seen at existing launch facilities for China's arsenal of nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, according to The Washington Post.

A satellite image shows one of the construction sites, where the site appears to be hidden under a 230-foot dome cover - something used at other known Chinese silo sites

A satellite image shows one of the construction sites, where the site appears to be hidden under a 230-foot dome cover - something used at other known Chinese silo sites

China is believed to possess a relatively small stockpile of nuclear weapons (when compared to the U.S. and Russia), of between 250 to 350. Therefore, the new silos could represent a significant up-scale in warheads. 

However, China has been known to build decoy silos in the past.

Such a tactic was used by the U.S. in the Cold War, moving its ICBMs between silos to ensure the Soviets would never know their exact location.

The construction suggests China is aiming to bolster the credibility of its nuclear deterrent, researcher Jeffrey Lewis told The Post.

'If the silos under construction at other sites across China are added to the count, the total comes to about 145 silos under construction,' Lewis said in a summary of his findings to the newspaper. 

The director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies said 'We believe China is expanding its nuclear forces in part to maintain a deterrent that can survive a U.S. first strike in sufficient numbers to defeat U.S. missile defenses'.

He added that the silos are likely intended to hold the Chinese ICBM known as the DF-41, which can carry multiple warheads as far as 9,300 miles. This potentially puts the U.S. mainland in its reach. 

Pictured: Satellite imagery showing the locations of where experts believe China is constructing the more than 100 silos

Pictured: Satellite imagery showing the locations of where experts believe China is constructing the more than 100 silos

Pictured: A satellite image believed to show a possible launch control facility among the silos

Pictured: A satellite image believed to show a possible launch control facility among the silos

The apparent silo construction sites spotted in the satellite images are grouped in two huge swathes, covering parts of a desert basin west and

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