Chinese satellites observed ‘dogfighting’: US Space Force official

​​​​​​​By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - A US Space Force general said that China was observed carrying out coordinated maneuvers with satellites, describing it as “dogfighting in space,” South China Morning Post reported Wednesday.

Gen.Michael Guetlein, vice-chief of space operations at US Space Force, said the agency has detected “five different objects in space maneuvering 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,” he told the annual McAleese Defence Programmes Conference.

US Space Force confirmed that the satellites were Chinese, and that the Shiyan-24C experimental satellites and two Shijian-6 05A/B experimental space objects conducted "a series of proximity operations in 2024" in low-Earth orbit.

A dogfight refers to close-range aerial combat between fighter jets involving intricate maneuvers. In space, however, it is much more challenging and slower for a spacecraft to perform the maneuvers.

It is the first instance of multiple Chinese satellites being observed executing synchronized movements, although China has previously conducted numerous "rendezvous proximity operations" where spacecraft approach and interact with each other in space.