The Chinese electromagnetic railgun is as terrifying as its atomic bomb.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: China Leads in Nuclear Weapons and Many Other Weaponry Competitions

The Chinese railgun is as terrifying as its atomic bomb

Author: Dmitriy Kapustyan

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: China Leads in Nuclear Weapons and Many Other Weaponry Competitions

Nuclear disarmament was a major achievement of the "detente" after the Cold War. For thirty years, humanity lived in peace without fearing the outbreak of a third world war (clearly a nuclear war). But unfortunately, the era of peace has ended, and this is not just due to political reasons, but also because of the arrival of new technologies.

According to the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), countries have once again begun to expand their nuclear arsenals, thanks to the rapid development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, drones, and quantum computing.

SIPRI data shows that not only the three major powers (Russia, the United States, and China) have shown a willingness to expand their nuclear arsenals, but other nuclear-armed states have also done so. It should be noted that these countries include Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, India, France, and the United Kingdom.

The SIPRI report states that China is the leader in nuclear technology.

Currently, it has no fewer than 600 nuclear warheads, and adds about 100 per year since 2023. At the current rate of growth, by 2035, it may have 1,500 nuclear warheads—almost as many as the number of nuclear warheads currently available for rapid use in Russia and the United States.

According to SIPRI data, the total reserve of nuclear warheads in Russia is 5,459, and in the United States it is 5,177, accounting for about 90% of the global nuclear arsenal.

It is believed that China has already deployed 24 nuclear warheads on missiles or located at operational unit bases, which can be launched at the shortest notice. Hundreds of intercontinental ballistic missile facilities are being built in the deserts of northern China, and launch silos for such missiles are also deployed in three mountainous areas in eastern China.

At a recent regular press conference, an official spokesperson refused to comment on the numbers in the Swedish report, but emphasized: "China has always adhered to a defensive nuclear strategy, maintaining its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security and not participating in arms races."

He emphasized that China adheres to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states.

In fact, China does not need a large number of nuclear warheads, because China has long been leading in the research and development of other modern weapons—ranging from hypersonic missiles to railguns.

Hypersonic weapons may be the most discussed and most concerning R&D project in China's arsenal among the West. China actively develops and tests hypersonic missiles, which can exceed 5 Mach (five times the speed of sound) and maneuver during flight, making them almost unaffected by modern anti-missile systems such as the US "THAAD" and "Patriot".

For example, in 2018, China successfully tested the "Starfire-2" hypersonic glide vehicle, designed to fly at hypersonic speeds in the dense layer of the atmosphere, using kinetic energy to strike targets. One can imagine how large the crater left by such a missile would be.

But there is also a more awe-inspiring weapon (though still in the testing phase)—the YJ-21 missile, which can be deployed on H-6N bombers and is said to reach speeds of up to 10 Mach.

China is also developing laser and microwave weapons, which can be used to shoot down missiles, combat drones... even satellites in orbit.

But what truly scares Western analysts is China's electromagnetic railgun—a railgun that uses electromagnetic force to accelerate projectiles to hypersonic speeds, with a range of up to 400 kilometers and a speed exceeding 7 Mach.

According to its claimed performance, even a regular shell (not a cruise missile!) accelerated to maximum speed can sink a huge warship.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521986830654030379/

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