Chinese scientists claim to have created a ‘real-life Death Star’ capable of devastating enemy satellites in orbit.
The science-fiction-inspired weapon combines pulses of microwave radiation into a single powerful beam – just like the planet-destroying lasers shown in Star Wars.
In order to merge, the electromagnetic pulses must hit the exact same target within 170 trillionths of a second.
That requires levels of timing more precise than the atomic clocks on advanced GPS satellites – a feat previously thought to be impossible.
However, the weapon has now completed experimental trials for potential military applications thanks to breakthroughs in ‘ultra-high time precision synchronisation’.
This could be used for ‘achieving multiple goals such as teaching and training, new technology verification, and military exercises,’ experts say.
While the exact details of the weapon remain highly classified, Chinese academic journals suggest that microwave weapons like this are being developed for use in space.
And while it might not have the power to blow up a planet, it could wreak havoc on enemy communications or GPS satellites.
According to the South China Morning Post, the secretive space weapon uses an array of seven microwave-firing ‘vehicles’.
These vehicles are positioned over a large area but fire together to hit their target with a single, powerful attack.
The scientists behind the device say that most microwave weapons ‘have not formed effective combat capabilities’ due to power limitations.
But, by merging several waves into a single pulse, the resulting power can be strong enough to overwhelm an enemy satellite.
What makes this challenging is that combining microwave pulses requires synchronising the bursts with never-before-seen levels of precision.
Even the atomic clock aboard the Chinese Tiangong space station, which only misses one second every few billion years, cannot reach the required levels of precision.
However, Chinese scientists say they have now been able to overcome these challenges by connecting each of the vehicles with fibreoptic cables.
While the exact specifications remain secret, last year Chinese scientists managed to achieve a time synchronisation accuracy of just 10 trillionths of a second over a distance of 1,100 miles (1,800km).
To ensure the microwave pulses hit the exact same point, the weapon also uses laser positioning devices to achieve millimeter-level navigation.
By analysing timing and positional data, a mobile command centre can then issue an attack command – triggering each of the seven vehicles to fire at once.
The researchers say that the microwave beams can achieve a combining effect of ‘1+1>2’, hinting that the combined power could be higher than the sum of its parts.
This won’t be quite as strong as the devastating power of the Death Star, but the resulting energy pulse could be more than enough to knock out an enemy satellite.
Studies have found that a weapon capable of delivering just one gigawatt of power would be enough to do serious damage to satellites in near-Earth orbit.
In recent years, milliaries around the world have been racing to develop a new generation of ‘direct energy weapons’.
Unlike conventional weapons which use projectiles or explosives, these use powerful blasts of electromagnetic radiation to disrupt or destroy their targets.
There have already been significant advances in direct energy weapons which use lasers to burn through the hulls of missiles and drones.
For example, the British Dragonfire laser weapon is strong enough to shoot a drone out of the air and accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from half a mile away.
Instead of burning through their targets, microwave weapons use intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation to disrupt electrical circuits.
Trials of microwave weapons have already shown that they can be effective against small targets like drones.
The Tactical High-Power Operational Responder (THOR), developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, uses wide bursts of energy to take out entire swarms of drones.
The advantage is that the weapons are cheap to operate and don’t use any projectiles, reducing the risk of collateral damage.
However, microwave weapons have proven difficult to target and use at longer ranges.
By overcoming the power limitations, combined microwave energy weapons could be the key to bringing these potentially devastating weapons into the frontier of space warfare.
As militaries become more reliant on satellite observations and communications there has been a growing interest in weapons which can target satellites.
These satellite networks provide the infrastructure which supports deadly GPS-guided missiles, drone strikes, and troop movements on the ground.
This means that knocking out enemy communication, by electronic or physical means, could provide a decisive advantage in a conflict.
Last month, the US revealed its powerful new satellite jamming weapon designed to shut down Russian or Chinese communications at the start of a conflict.
The weapon has been developed by the Xian Navigation Technology Research Institute under the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation.
This organisation has been a major provider of electronic warfare weapons for the People’s Liberation Army in the past.
However, it isn’t yet clear when, if at all, this weapon will be deployed.
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