Beijing’s ears may be reaching deeper into the Western Hemisphere — or so U.S. intelligence believes.
Newly released satellite imagery from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows ongoing construction at a known signals intelligence (SIGINT) site near Bejucal, a town just south of Havana. The images reveal the development of a large circular antenna array, typically used for long-range electronic surveillance.
Washington has long suspected Chinese involvement at the Bejucal facility, which has a history of intelligence operations dating back to the Cold War. U.S. officials warn that the site could serve as a new node in China’s broader surveillance architecture, aimed at monitoring military and communications traffic across North America.
The structure under construction is a Circularly Disposed Antenna Array, or CDAA — a Cold War-era technology capable of detecting and geolocating radio signals from distances of up to 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers). The system consists of multiple antennas arranged in a ring formation, connected to a central processing unit. According to satellite imagery dated April 16, the outer ring of the new installation is nearly complete: 19 pole antennas are positioned in a circle measuring 574 feet in diameter, significantly larger than a now-dismantled array previously located at the site.
Bejucal has long been a strategic location. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, it housed Soviet nuclear warheads. Today, it serves as Cuba’s largest active electronic intelligence facility. Over the past decade, the site has undergone notable expansion, including the addition of a large radome in 2014 — a dome-shaped structure likely concealing radar or signal interception equipment — and the visible development of underground access points.
Suspicions of Chinese activity in Bejucal have persisted for years. In 2016, then-Senator Marco Rubio publicly called on the Cuban government to dismantle what he described as a “Chinese listening station” at the site. Since then, both classified and open-source reporting has continued to point to possible cooperation between Cuban and Chinese intelligence services.
If confirmed, the upgraded array could allow China to monitor U.S. military, naval, and communications activity across the southern United States and the Caribbean basin. Similar CDAA installations have already been deployed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on militarized artificial islands in the South China Sea — namely at Mischief Reef and Subi Reef — where they are believed to support surveillance over contested waters.
Bejucal is not the only site drawing attention. Roughly 500 miles to the southeast, a second CDAA was being developed near the town of El Salao. Satellite imagery from March 2024 showed the initial phase of construction. But recent images, taken in April 2025, suggest the project has stalled. Grass is reclaiming the site, and only two secondary buildings appear to have been completed.
The reasons for the halt remain unclear. El Salao would offer a strategic vantage point for monitoring Atlantic traffic, located just 70 kilometers west of the U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. Analysts suggest the freeze could reflect a realignment of resources, prioritizing Bejucal’s more advanced infrastructure.
China has consistently denied any involvement in surveillance operations in Cuba. Still, American officials continue to monitor developments closely.
