China is busy building a larger laser-ignited fusion research center. Satellite images have revealed a colossal nuclear weapons research center in Mianyang, southwestern China.
China‘s nuclear program has been covered in secrecy since its inception in the 1950s. The country conducted its first nuclear test in 1964 and has since steadily built up its arsenal.
China has accelerated its nuclear weapons development in recent years, with the number of operational warheads increasing by more than 100 to over 600.
The newly revealed research center in Mianyang is designed similarly to the $3.5 billion U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California, which is known for its advancements in nuclear fusion research. The Chinese facility, officially known as the Laser Fusion Major Device Laboratory, features four laser bays and an experiment bay.
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It is currently the world’s largest, estimated to be 50% larger than the one at NIF. This facility allows researchers to study nuclear fusion reactions and potentially improve existing weapons designs without conducting explosive tests.
A nuclear policy analyst at the Henry L. Stimson Centre, William Alberque said “Any country with an NIF-type facility can and probably will be increasing their confidence and improving existing weapons designs, and facilitating the design of future bomb designs without testing” the weapons themselves.
This latest revelation raises more questions than answers.
