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Further Reading

Radar Satellite

Some Western sources claim that China may be seeking European and Russian technology to facilitate construction of high-resolution radar satellites for all-weather targeting applications, particularly the location of naval forces in the Taiwan Straits. The source of this speculation remains unclear, and there are no concrete indicators of such Chinese programs. The high absentee ratio of space-based systems would provide a poor match with Chinese regional force projection capabilities.

China has also taken an interest in the potential civil applications of such a system in the aftermath of the flooding, landslides, and typhoon damage in 1994. While China has used optical and infrared imaging space-based civil remote-sensing systems, there is particular interest in active microwave imagery that can penetrate southern China's constant cloud cover.

The PLA and other parts of the state apparatus view radar satellite imagery as critical in China's ability to achieve information dominance. Unlike electro-optical systems, radar satellites, according to GSD Second Department advocates, can see through clouds, rain, and fog in order to detect targets on the ground or underground, and in or under the ocean. In addition, SAR satellites are extremely useful in tracking moving targets, and can be useful in satisfying military mapping requirements. Chinese engineers have been examining SAR satellites as a means to track enemy submarines in shallow waters. China has already fielded a real-time airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, and is working toward deployment of an indigenous space based SAR satellite.

Preliminary R&D on a space-based SAR satellite was reportedly initiated in the late 1980s, and model R&D began in 1991. In May 1995, SSTC and COSTIND approved the finalized design and work on associated high speed data transmission. While the first generation SAR satellite is in the prototype development phase, preliminary research has probably already begun on the second generation SAR satellite system. Key institutes involved in the indigenous development of synthetic aperture radar satellites include CAS' Institute of Electronics, CAST's 501st and 504th Research Institutes (Xian Institute of Space Radio Technology), Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering, and MEI's 14th Research Institute and the Southwest Institute of Electronic Equipment (SWIEE).