The U.S. Space Force (USSF) has raised concerns about China’s advancements in space warfare, particularly its recent demonstration of “dogfighting” maneuvers involving satellites.

General Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of Space Operations, revealed that five Chinese satellites were observed performing synchronized and controlled proximity operations in low Earth orbit during 2024.

“With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchronicity and in control,” Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein said during the McAleese Defense Programs Conference in Washington. “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.”

A service spokesperson later elaborated on Guetlein’s comments, saying the operation occurred in 2024 and involved three Shiyan-24C experimental satellites and two other Chinese experimental spacecraft, the