China’s Secretive Space Plane Practicing Orbital Dogfighting

In my previous piece, I described America’s unique space plane now flown by the Space Force. The vehicle, known as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), has been around for almost two decades and is now in orbit after an August launch.

China and Russia see it as a potential space weapon or space weapon delivery system.

And, as I described, while it may not be a weapon, it could be used for offensive and defensive military purposes. But mostly, it is intended to develop technologies and tactics to be used in orbital warfare.

And now, China has its own version of a military space plane — its answer to the X-37B, the Shenlong, or “Divine Dragon.”

Like the X-37B, it is an operational, reusable, uncrewed space plane similar in design and size to our own X-37B, but with two small engines between the canted rear wings right above the main engine.

China conducted the first aerodynamic tests of its secret space plane in the atmosphere in 2007 when the prototype was launched from a Xian H-6 bomber. It first launched on a Long March rocket in 2020 and has been relaunched several times since.

From 2020 to 2024, the Chinese space plane completed three successful orbital missions out of three, two of which had record durations of 276 and 268 days.

In 2023, China launched the Shenlong for the third time on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert.

During that flight, it appears the uncrewed spacecraft placed six objects in low Earth orbit. Both the U.S. Space Force and amateur astronomers observed the objects. British Columbia-based astronomer Scott Tilley wrote that he had detected strong S-band emissions from the space plane or one of the objects.

“This could indicate a clandestine ground station on the west coast of North America or a ship off the coast,” said Tilley. However, this is just speculation.

China’s previous two spaceplane missions also released unknown objects during their flights, which lasted two days and nine months, respectively.

China’s Xinhua News Agency reported that the space plane would run science experiments and “provide technical support for the peaceful use of space.” Recall, however, that in China, everything is dual-use, meaning civilian and military use.

And the space plane is definitely being used to test new technologies, including military ones, which will find application in spaceships and orbital stations in the future.

Based on observations of the craft and its flight profiles, China’s secretive Shenlong space plane could perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions for the People’s Liberation Army.

Some experts suggest that Shenlong can be equipped with weapons to destroy enemy satellites. The Chinese space plane has already maneuvered near other orbital objects, which can be perceived as a potential threat to U.S. satellites. 

U.S. Space Force claims the Chinese space plane has practiced orbital dogfighting in space.

The Chinese craft has employed rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) with a space object, meaning it tested capabilities to meet up with and get close to the object in space, SpaceNews reported. 

These operations can be used to repair or perform upkeep on friendly satellites, but refining these techniques allow the space plane to tamper with adversary satellites during any future orbital combat.

Space Force vice chief of space operations Michael Guetlein said at the time that the service had observed “five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchrony and in control.”

U.S. Space Force is “starting to see our near-peers focusing on practicing dogfighting in space with satellite-on-satellite,” he said.

These satellites deployed by China’s space plane aren’t the only dangers to the U.S. in space, Russia’s “nesting doll,” satellite demonstration in 2019, involved smaller spacecraft closely following the movement of U.S. satellites.

And now there is a second, much improved, Chinese spaceplane.

In November 2024, the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition unveiled Haolong, a new cargo shuttle developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute, a division of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

Haolong means Good Dragon in Chinese, hinting at its allegedly peaceful use. According to the manufacturers, this Chinese space plane is designed to replace the Tianzhou robotic cargo ship to supply the Tiangong space station.

This one may be even closer in capability to the X-37B, or it may surpass the much older U.S. spaceplane.

“It’s no surprise that the Chinese are extremely interested in our spaceplane. We’re extremely interested in theirs,” then U.S. Space Force Commanding General B. Chance Saltzman told reporters at the time.

The race is on for space warfare supremacy. Whoever wins will dominate the Earth.

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