The vice chief of the U.S. Space Force said Chinese satellites have been observed rehearsing "dogfighting" maneuvers in low Earth orbit, a display of the communist nation's ability to perform complex maneuvers in orbit.

The maneuvers, referred to as rendezvous and proximity operations, involve not only navigating around other objects but also inspecting them, the Air Force Times reported Tuesday.

"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 Tuesday at the McAleese Defense Programs Conference in Washington, D.C.

"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 Space Force spokesperson told the Air Force Times the observation occurred in 2024 and involved three Shiyan-24C experimental satellites and two other Chinese experimental spacecraft, the Shijian-605 A and B. The Shijian-6 systems were believed to be on a signals intelligence mission, which could be used to determine the geolocation of a signal's origin, which helps in identifying the location and movements of adversaries, according to the American Military Institute.

Guetlein’s comments came as the Space Force intensifies efforts to establish dominance in space, both by defending its satellites from enemy attacks and through offensive measures of its own, according to the Air Force Times.

"The purpose of the Space Force is to guarantee space superiority for the joint force — not space for space's sake," Guetlein said. "Space [operations] guarantee that, just like all the other domains, we can fight as a joint force, and we can depend on those capabilities."

Guetlein used the satellite dogfighting demonstration among other concerning activities from "near-peer" U.S. adversaries. That included Russia's 2019 demonstration of a "nesting doll," during which a satellite released a smaller spacecraft that then performed several stalking maneuvers near a U.S. satellite.

Such operations indicate the space capability gap between the U.S. military and its closest adversaries is shrinking, a concern Space Force leaders have been raising for years, the Air Force Times reported.

"That capability gap used to be massive," Guetlein said. "We've got to change the way we look at space or that capability gap may reverse and not be in our favor anymore."

• Space-Based Defenses Must Be Lighter, Smarter and Affordable
• Space Force Shouldn't Be Mere Extension of Air Force Missions