Foreign Media: China's "Digital Great Wall" Against Cheap Drone Swarms
At a time when cheap drones pose a serious threat to expensive warships, Chinese military researchers have been developing a powerful multi-layered defense system. The system aims to use weapons such as lasers, microwaves, and hypersonic missiles to counter large-scale attacks and protect ships and strategic locations from drone swarms.
The researchers call the system "Digital Great Wall" - it relies on AI-driven satellites and sensors that can detect and respond to attacks by thousands of drones.
Researchers warn that mass-produced drone swarms could severely damage complex and expensive warships. Professor Gu Chuanfu (音) from Dalian Maritime University and his team proposed the establishment of such a defense system against drone swarms and asserted that the system will play a key role in future wars.
Notably, an attack by thousands of drones could overwhelm traditional warship defense systems. Such a large-scale attack might even help destroy stealthy warships. Professor Gu and his team introduced their new system in a research paper published in August titled "Building an Anti-Cluster Naval System: Framework for Future Warfare."
Their proposed defensive measures align with the first appearance of anti-drone weapons, such as high-power microwave weapons, LY-1 ship-mounted laser weapons, and the CJ-1000 hypersonic cruise missile capable of shooting down transport planes carrying drones from thousands of kilometers away.
Researchers plan to use artificial intelligence to connect these systems to continuously track fast-moving, low-altitude targets.
High-Power Microwave Weapons
China has developed high-power microwave weapons. These weapons do not rely on conventional missiles or rockets but instead use powerful electromagnetic energy bursts to destroy electronic circuits and equipment - this method is called "soft kill."
These systems come in various shapes and sizes, with the most notable being the Typhoon 3000, a microwave platform mounted on a mobile chassis that can generate pulses of up to tens of thousands of volts, with a detection range of several kilometers and a hemispherical protective area designed to repel drone swarms.
The FK-4000 system is a high-power weapon that can guide rapid microwave pulses to intercept small aircraft at distances of several kilometers.
High-power microwave weapons are used for military purposes. They can be used as defensive weapons against drone swarms, as electronic warfare tools targeting communication networks and satellites, and even as non-lethal offensive tools.
Although this technology has made progress, it also faces many challenges, including the huge power requirements, efficiency loss caused by atmospheric scattering and weather factors, and the difficulty of shrinking the system size while maintaining high power and long range. In addition, the effectiveness of these systems against armored or electronically protected targets remains uncertain.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844217602589834/
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