Yaogan Military Reconnaissance Satellite Constellation

The Yaogan (遥感) series is China's primary military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) satellite constellation, comprising over 178 active spacecraft as of 2025. The constellation includes multiple satellite classes: Jianbing-5 (electro-optical), Jianbing-6 (ELINT/signals intelligence), Jianbing-7 (SAR radar imaging), Jianbing-8 (multi-spectral), and Jianbing-9/10 (technology demonstration). New launches continue at a pace of 10-20 per year, with Yaogan-45 launched in September 2025.

The Yaogan constellation provides the PLA with persistent, all-weather surveillance capability globally. SAR satellites (Jianbing-7 class) operate with side-looking radar enabling imaging through clouds and at night. Multi-satellite formations enable rapid revisit times over areas of interest including the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, and the Indian Ocean. This capability is critical for China's anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategy, providing targeting data for anti-ship ballistic missiles.

At 178+ satellites, Yaogan represents arguably the most significant military space buildup since the Cold War. The constellation's scale — approaching the size of the US military satellite fleet — transforms China from a regional to a global ISR power. Combined with BeiDou navigation and Tianlian data relay satellites, China has built a complete sovereign space-based C4ISR architecture independent of any foreign systems.