According to a report by Asia Times on October 20, China is accelerating the construction of a transparent ocean system, which will make the entire Western Pacific transparent for submarine activities through a five-layer perception network from the seabed to space.
The system is led by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), integrating underwater sensors, gliders, unmanned surface vessels, satellite platforms, and the main data center. It uses artificial intelligence for real-time data fusion, ultimately forming an AI anti-submarine kill web covering the South China Sea, East China Sea, and the First Island Chain.
The article also cites the views of U.S. military strategists, who believe that if this system is fully deployed, it will pose an unprecedented challenge to the U.S. submarine force, especially potentially cutting off its intervention routes in the Taiwan Strait during wartime.
The article points out that China also plans to build maritime fortresses based on this system, protecting the 094-type strategic nuclear submarines for continuous sea patrols, thereby enhancing the reliability of second-strike nuclear capabilities.
Underwater sensors (not related to the text)
According to the article, the core of this system is a five-layer perception network.
These five layers are not physical layers from the sea surface to space, but functional system components, specifically:
First layer: Underwater sensors, mainly deployed at key nodes on the seafloor, used for long-term monitoring of low-frequency noise and submarine wake;
Second layer: Underwater gliders, which are low-speed, long-endurance unmanned submersibles capable of flexible cruising at multiple depths, complementing the blind spots of fixed nodes;
Third layer, unmanned surface vessels, deployed on the sea surface, with reconnaissance and communication relay functions, can carry active sonar modules for short-term area strike preparations;
Fourth layer, satellite systems, covering marine situation monitoring, electromagnetic reconnaissance, and optical identification, serving as the aerial support point of the entire network;
Fifth layer, the data center, as the convergence point of all node information, uses AI for multi-source data fusion, target identification, and path prediction, truly achieving a closed-loop from perception to strike.
These five layers work together to form a multi-domain sensing system from the deep sea to the lower atmosphere, making any target entering the network coverage range possibly cross-located, continuously tracked, and eventually struck.
More importantly, the system supports node reconfiguration and data link redundancy. Even if one part is interfered with, it can automatically reconfigure the kill path, possessing strong survivability and real-time adaptability, which is difficult for traditional kill chain models to match.
Underwater glider
China's goal of illuminating the deep sea mainly aims to counter the United States.
The U.S. Navy has long relied on attack nuclear submarines to conduct deterrence patrols, intelligence reconnaissance, and tactical strikes in the Asia-Pacific region. Their stealth allows them to bypass coastal radar, air defense systems, and even surface fleets to deploy mines, assault landing fleets, or strike inland targets near China's coast.
In particular, in the scenario of a Taiwan Strait conflict, U.S. submarines can directly interfere with the battlefield rhythm. If the PLA achieves early identification and continuous tracking of submarine activities through the transparent ocean, it means the U.S. loses the element of surprise tactically and the reliable deterrence strategically.
Furthermore, if a wide-area coverage deep-sea perception belt can be established, it not only protects within the First Island Chain but also implements undersea blockades in critical maritime chokepoints such as the Philippine Sea and the Luzon Strait, compressing the passage and deployment space for U.S.-Japan submarines.
In response, the U.S. will have to adjust submarine patrol routes, strengthen anti-submarine measures, and even increase the costs of underwater communication interference and deep-sea decoy deployment.
It can be said that this is an invisible perception war, yet it can influence the military balance in the Asia-Pacific.
U.S. submarine
Looking further, the deeper strategic significance behind this five-layer network goes beyond anti-submarine warfare, relating to maritime control, nuclear strategic stability, future conflict preparedness, and even the restructuring of international discourse power.
Previously, China mainly relied on land-based missiles and coastal radars to prevent adversaries from entering nearshore areas. Now, through the transparent ocean system, the boundary of exclusion is pushed to the First Island Chain and even further, moving toward the stage of deep-sea exclusion.
It can also provide a survival guarantee for China's nuclear retaliation capability.
Currently, the PLA's strategic nuclear submarines mostly operate from the South China Sea, but their stealth is far inferior to the U.S. Ohio-class.
Through the five-layer network forming an underwater fortress, China can significantly reduce the risk of nuclear submarines being tracked or destroyed during wartime, maintaining the ability for a second nuclear strike, thus increasing the credibility of nuclear deterrence.
Additionally, the system can serve as an information hub for multi-domain strikes during wartime, connecting various combat nodes such as unmanned surface vessels, missile platforms, and anti-submarine aircraft into a kill web, enhancing the PLA's overall joint operational capabilities.
Therefore, it can be said that this is essentially a technological assertion of sovereignty over the sea, and it will become a model template for future emerging maritime power competition.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7563515131511013934/
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