China’s military has developed a first-of-its-kind electronic weapon utilising 6G technology, capable of intercepting enemy signals and deceiving F-35 fighter jets.
The photon-driven technology generates more than 3,600 false targets to overwhelm modern military radar systems, utilising photons, or light particles, as its energy source.
This breakthrough underlines China’s efforts to modernise its military operations and 6G capabilities with the country now holding the largest portfolio of 6G patents globally, surpassing the United States.
China’s government, military and major tech firms funded the project, which was headed up by lead researcher Deng Lei of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
The ground-based jammer operates at a higher frequency with great precision, allowing it to pose radar jamming issues even for the new Northrop Grumman AN/APG-85 radar for the F-35 stealth fighter.
“The evolution of 6G technology is driving the convergence of communications, radar and electronic warfare applications,” Deng Lei and his colleagues noted in peer-reviewed paper, Acta Optica Sinica, last month.
The weapon is understood to be capable of relaying huge amounts of battlefield data to more than 300 cooperative platforms simultaneously, proving to also be a valuable communications device.
This addition delivers “a groundbreaking approach for next-generation electronic warfare,” Deng and his team added.
If effective, the equipment could address blackout problems which occur when communicating with missiles or spacecraft travelling at superfast speeds.
The photon-driven core, developed by Deng’s unit, harnesses light waves to bypass electronic bandwidth ceilings
Deng’s unit developed a photon-driven core that harnesses light waves to bypass electronic bandwidth ceilings which cap the amount of data you’re able to transmit.
The device is also able to create false targets and shift transmission frequencies to fool enemy radar systems.
The project received close to $10million in funding to complete the study, according to Huazhong University, through national research programmes and military partnerships.
