US general warns of China's space ‘dogfighting’ tactics amid rising threats
ByHT News Desk
Mar 19, 2025 11:33 AM IST
General Michael Guetlein said that the US Space Force has observed ‘five different objects in ‘doing maneuvers that he described as ‘dogfighting’.
A top US general warned on Tuesday about China developing ‘dogfighting’ skills in space, with the country's satellites having conducted coordinated manoeuvres with ‘synchrony’ and ‘control’.
The US Space Force also confirmed the same following Guetlein’s comments, saying that the official was referring to a series of Chinese satellite maneuvers in 2024. (Representative Image)
The US Space Force also confirmed the same following Guetlein’s comments, saying that the official was referring to a series of Chinese satellite maneuvers in 2024. (Representative Image)
Speaking at the annual McAleese defence programmes conference, vice chief of space operations, General Michael Guetlein, said the US Space Force has observed five different objects' in doing manoeuvres that he described as ‘dogfighting’, a term generally used for air-to-air combat between fighter jets.
“The service is starting to see our near-peers focusing on practicing dogfighting in space with satellite-on-satellite operations. With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space manoeuvring in and out and around each other in synchrony and in control. That's what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing tactics, techniques, and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another,” Guetlein was quoted as saying by Defense One.
The US Space Force also confirmed the same following Guetlein’s comments, saying that the official was referring to a series of Chinese satellite maneuvers in 2024 in low Earth orbit. These manoeuvres involved three Shiyan-24C experimental satellites and two Chinese experimental space objects, the Shijian-6 05A/B.
Dogfight in space is a term that is still gaining a definition as there is no friction or atmosphere in space. So to do what the jets achieve by using atmospheric friction, objects in space have to rely on thrusters.
Threats from space
Apart from China developing dogfight skills, general Michael Guetlein outlined other threats in space that the US (and other countries) face. According to him, these include ‘nesting dolls’ that could launch anti-satellite weapons, satellites that ‘shadow’ other satellites, and satellites equipped with grappling arms that can tow another satellite or hold it hostage. He warned that Russia has developed a nuclear weapon designed for space.
“Unfortunately, our current adversaries are willing to go against international norms of behavior, go against that gentleman's agreement, and they're willing to do it in very unsafe and unprofessional manners,” Guetlein said.
According to him, the competitors of the United States have narrowed the capability gap that existed before and called for the country to shift in approach.
US President Donald Trump announced the creation of the Space Force in 2019 during his first term in office. It became an independent military service in 2020. According to its website, the service focuses on establishing superiority in the space domain. General Guetlein's comments are a call in that same regard.
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