According to Chinese claims, they have created a small enough power source to significantly shrink the size of a high-powered microwave weapon that can destroy Starlink satellites.
With a pulse rate of 10 per second, this gadget can generate 10 gigawatts of power. The Chinese media reports that this gadget can emit microwave beams with enough power to destroy satellites, aircraft, and other aerial vehicles.
Changsha National University of Defense Technology’s Faculty of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies in Hunan province is managed by Shu Ting, who is responsible for developing the new technology.
Laser beam weapon or electronic warfare?
Typically, a power supply system capable of producing such high power is intricate, bulky, and takes up a lot of space.
According to the article, the newly designed device and its supporting components, such as capacitors and a control system, can be stored on a shelf. The technology is useful for the military since it enables the microwave weapon to be mounted on a truck or rooftop, making it possible to launch surprise attacks on moving enemy targets.
According to the report, the device could be connected continuously to a city’s power grid. However, the team ran into some problems while trying to get this device to work effectively.
high power electricity device
The generation of high-power electricity in a compact gadget, say Chinese experts, is prone to catastrophic failure. In his preliminary experiments, the flow of electricity at extremely high voltage caused short circuits that burned through hardened insulators.
According to the weapon’s designer, the electrical impulses should be nearly equal and maintain full power even after multiple shots. These stringent constraints exacerbated existing difficulties for a number of crucial components, including switches and insulating materials.
The gadget developed by Shu’s group is an electron accelerator with a DNA-like internal structure. The report adds that the accelerator uses two spiral tubes structured like the double helix of genetic material to accelerate electrons.
This peculiar design facilitated the production of ultra-high power electron beams in a restricted space. The Chinese researchers stated that the coiled tubes were submerged in glycerin, an inexpensive liquid solvent that provided great insulation and needed little maintenance in the field.
They also claimed that the shorts went away after figuring out how to eliminate the microscopic bubbles in the glycerin.
Why is China wary of Starlink?
Some analysts have noted that the Chinese military has hastened the development of high-powered microwave weapons in response to the successful use of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites against Russia in Ukraine.
Using traditional anti-satellite missiles to destroy the Starlink network, which has already deployed thousands of satellites into near-Earth orbit, would be technically and financially challenging.
However, microwave guns are cheap weapons that jam satellite communications or damage their electrical systems irreparably.
Ben Lewis, a defense analyst focused on developing the PLA and Taiwan security issues, told the EurAsian Times: “We have seen how effective Starlink has been in facilitating communications in Ukraine, and China is concerned about its possible usefulness to Taiwan. , or for US forces involved in a contingency scenario in Taiwan.”
“Having weapons with the ability to take Starlink out of business, and the Chinese media specifically mentioning Starlink in their report about it, indicates how seriously they view Starlink,” he added.
But at the moment, most military equipment only produces microwaves at kilowatt or megawatt power levels.
China’ Satellite Killer Weapon
According to the most recent research, based on the calculations of scientists from the People’s Liberation Army, it would take a microwave beam with a power of one gigawatt or more to cause damage to a satellite that is likely to be covered by shielding measures.
When it comes to the military application of high-powered microwave technologies, China falls behind the United States and Russia. In 2018, US defense contractor Raytheon said it had shot down 45 drones in a training exercise using a combination of a high-powered laser and microwave.
However, these weapons could be used efficiently as an anti-satellite weapon, potentially allowing China to target Starlink satellites precisely.
Lewis mentioned that “ anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) play an important role in modern conventional warfare, especially for China. The United States maintains a robust suite of satellites for reconnaissance and communications that help facilitate operations far from home.”
“To prevent US operations against Chinese forces in, for example, a contingency in Taiwan, China will try to disable or destroy US satellites using ASAT weapons. This new system is another method China can use to accomplish that task, increasing the threat to American satellites, drones, and aircraft,” Lewis explained.
In other words, China’s significant progress in developing high-powered microwave weapons indicates its strong desire to have the ability to destroy enemy satellites in the event of a conflict.
