Recent satellite images reveal that China is nonchalantly bolstering its missile capabilities, with 59 DF-26 launchers casually parked in the open at the “Xinghan” facility in Beijing. Captured by Western satellites on September 9, 2024, the images offer an unintentionally transparent view into China’s approach to missile stockpiling—no need to keep secrets when everything is supposedly above board.

Since its 2015 debut, the DF-26, a 4,000-kilometer-range missile, has been billed as the “Guam Killer” due to its potential to reach U.S. military bases in Guam. Capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional payloads, the DF-26 has grown to be a staple in China’s missile arsenal, with production soaring past 250 units by 2024. “Xinghan” has been particularly busy over the past year, assembling at least 72 launchers, ensuring they have a cozy place across the seven missile brigades of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Currently, the Dongfeng-26 is in service with the following seven missile brigades (RB):

• 611 RB – rearmed from IRBM “Dongfeng-21” to “Dongfeng-26”
• 625 RB
• 626 RB
• 646 RB
• 654 RB
• 665 RB
• 666 RUR

This surge in DF-26 production seems to be an innocent response to a suddenly threatening world, as U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific get a little too close for comfort around Taiwan and the South China Sea. The increased output is no doubt a peace-promoting gesture, as is China’s insistence on creating a missile arsenal capable of reaching halfway across the ocean.

As these developments unfold, the presence of 59 DF-26 launchers in plain sight serves as a gentle reminder of China’s “just-in-case” approach to national security—proving once again that the best defense might just be a subtly intimidating offense.